Root-associated bacteria strengthen their community stability against disturbance of antibiotics on structure and functions

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 465; p. 133317
• Main Authors: Huang, Yu-Hong, Yang, Yu-Jie, Li, Jie-Yu, Lü, Huixiong, Zhao, Hai-Ming, Xiang, Lei, Li, Hui, Mo, Ce-Hui, Li, Yan-Wen, Cai, Quan-Ying, Li, Qing X.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 05.03.2024
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antibiotics; Bacteria - genetics; bacterial communities; Ciprofloxacin; Community stability; community structure; corn; denitrification; Ecological assembly; genes; host plants; keystone species; Massilia; nitrification; Nitrogen; Nitrogen cycle; organic nitrogen; Plant Roots - microbiology; pollution; quantitative polymerase chain reaction; Rhizobium; rhizoplane; Rhizosphere; Root-associated microbiome; Soil; Soil Microbiology; Tetracycline; Zea mays; Zea mays - microbiology; Ecological assembly; Nitrogen cycle; Antibiotics; Root-associated microbiome; Community stability
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133317

Antibiotics affect bacterial community structure and functions in soil. However, the response and adaptation of root-associated bacterial communities to antibiotic stress remains poorly understood. Here, rhizobox experiments were conducted with maize (Zea mays L.) upon exposure to antibiotics ciprofloxacin or tetracycline. High-throughput sequencing analysis of bacterial community and quantitative PCR analysis of nitrogen cycling genes show that ciprofloxacin and tetracycline significantly shift bacterial community structure in bulk soil, whereas plant host may mitigate the disturbances of antibiotics on bacterial communities in root-associated niches (i.e., rhizosphere and rhizoplane) through the community stabilization. Deterministic assembly, microbial interaction, and keystone species (e.g., Rhizobium and Massilia) of root-associated bacterial communities benefit the community stability compared with those in bulk soil. Meanwhile, the rhizosphere increases antibiotic dissipation, potentially reducing the impacts of antibiotics on root-associated bacterial communities. Furthermore, rhizospheric effects deriving from root exudates alleviate the impacts of antibiotics on the nitrogen cycle (i.e., nitrification, organic nitrogen conversion and denitrification) as confirmed by functional gene quantification, which is largely attributed to the bacterial community stability in rhizosphere. The present study enhances the understanding on the response and adaptation of root-associated bacterial community to antibiotic pollution. [Display omitted] •Antibiotics disturb structure and functions of soil bacterial community.•Responses of bacterial community to antibiotics vary between soil and root niches.•Plants mitigate disturbance of antibiotics on root-associated bacterial community.•Rhizosphere mitigates effects of antibiotics on nitrification and denitrification.•Root-associated bacteria strengthen community stability against antibiotic stress.