Exploring the Ecological Impacts of Herbicides on Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Microbial Communities

The widespread application of herbicides has profound ecological consequences, particularly regarding the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and microbial communities. In this study, we analyzed herbicide-related metagenomic data to assess the impact of herbicide exposure on ARGs and microbial populations. Our results demonstrate that herbicide application significantly increased the abundance of ARGs, particularly those associated with multidrug resistance, sulfonamides, and bacitracin, with notable increases in subtypes such as <i>bacA</i> and <i>sul1</i>. Microbial community analyses revealed a dominance of Pseudomonadota and Actinomycetota, along with a significant down-regulation of genera like <i>Fibrisoma</i>, <i>Gilsonvirus</i>, <i>Limnobacter</i>, and <i>Wilnyevirus</i> in the experimental group. Additionally, herbicide exposure led to a marked reduction in biodiversity. When threshold values were relaxed, correlation analyses revealed a co-occurrence pattern between multiple genes and <i>sul1</i>, suggesting that horizontal gene transfer plays a pivotal role in the spread of antibiotic resistance in herbicide-contaminated soils. Moreover, environmental factors were found to significantly influence both microbial community composition and ARG distribution. These findings highlight the complex ecological effects of herbicides on microbial diversity and the dissemination of resistance genes, emphasizing the need for further research into the long-term environmental and public health implications of herbicide use.