Effects of earthworms on bacterial communities and soil health in glyphosate-residual soil

doi:10.16178/j.issn.0528-9017.20250306

Abstract

Abstract:

Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides globally，but its residues in soil may lead to soil quality degradation and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes（ARGs），thereby affecting soil health. This study used Eisenia fetida as the test subject and set two different glyphosate residue levels（0.5 and 2.0 mg·kg^-1）based on current environmental residue conditions to investigate the effects of earthworm activity on soil nutrients，bacterial communities，and ARGs under glyphosate residue. The results showed that earthworm activity improved soil quality by promoting organic matter mineralization and increasing inorganic nitrogen accumulation. Additionally，earthworm activity altered the soil bacterial community structure，enhanced bacterial diversity，and reduced the abundance of pathogenic bacteria and ARGs. The interaction network between pathogenic bacteria and ARGs was also weakened. Functional prediction indicated that earthworm activity significantly（p<0.05）increased the abundance of genes related to xenobiotic metabolism，with an increase of 8.61%，which may be a key mechanism enhancing the soil bacteria's ability to degrade glyphosate. This study elucidates the mechanism by which earthworms improve the health of glyphosate-contaminated soil through dynamic changes in soil physicochemical properties，bacterial community structure，and the interaction network of ARGs. The findings provide theoretical and data support for the development of a bio-regulation-based soil health assessment system.

Key words: glyphosate, earthworm, soil bacterial community, antibiotic resistance gene, soil health, metagenome

CLC Number:

S154.3

CHANG Yixiao, XU Jiayang, ZHI Liying, LI Jian, JIN Mingkang, DING Kai. Effects of earthworms on bacterial communities and soil health in glyphosate-residual soil[J]. Journal of Zhejiang Agricultural Sciences, 2026, 67(10): 2541-2552.

Figures/Tables 8

Fig.1 The effect of earthworm activity on the physicochemical properties of soil containing glyphosate residues

Fig.2 The effect of earthworm activity on the bacterial community in soil containing glyphosate residues

Fig.3 The volcano image of soil pathogen

Fig.4 Effect of earthworm activity on the network of soil pathogenic bacteria-ARGs associations

Fig.5 Compositional characteristics of soil ARGs by drug class and resistance mechanism under different treatment conditions

Fig.6 The volcano of soil ARGs under different treatments

Fig.7 Effect of earthworm activity on the phylogeny and carrying characteristics of antibiotic resistance genes（ARGs），mobile genetic elements（MGEs），virulence factor genes（VFGs）in soil MAGs

Fig. 8 KEGG functional annotation of soil microbiota under different treatments

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