Wastewater treatment plant as a stable contributor affecting coastal ocean water viral communities

Impact statement

Coastal viruses play a vital role in sustaining ecosystem functioning, and yet, the degree to which they are influenced by human activities remains poorly understood. Our study demonstrates that wastewater discharge fundamentally reshapes the coastal ocean virome, overriding its natural seasonal variability and highlighting a profound anthropogenic influence on the distribution, host associations, and ecological roles of viral communities. These findings advance our understanding of viral dynamics in coastal marine systems and establish a critical scientific basis for evaluating how human activities alter marine microbial ecology.