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Archaeal biology

Archaeal symbioses all the way down

Nature Microbiology volume 10, pages 2651–2652 (2025)Cite this article

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Ethiopian salt lakes feature unique microbial communities with nesting layers of symbioses, where haloarchaea and their ultra-small archaeal symbionts are prey to viruses, which are in turn hijacked by virus satellites.

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Fig. 1: An investigation of viruses and their archaeal hosts in salt lakes of the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia reveals nested layers of symbiotic interactions.

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  1. Research Group for Computational Systems Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Planegg, Germany

    Mike Dyall-Smith

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  1. Mike Dyall-Smith
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Correspondence to Mike Dyall-Smith.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Dyall-Smith, M. Archaeal symbioses all the way down. Nat Microbiol 10, 2651–2652 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-025-02158-6

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