Prolonged exposure to manure from livestock‐administered antibiotics decreases ecosystem carbon‐use efficiency and alters nitrogen cycling

Abstract

Microbial communities drive soil ecosystem function but are also susceptible to environmental disturbances. We investigated whether exposure to manure sourced from cattle either administered or not administered antibiotics affected microbially mediated terrestrial ecosystem function. We quantified changes in microbial community composition via amplicon sequencing, and terrestrial elemental cycling via a stable isotope pulse‐chase. Exposure to manure from antibiotic‐treated cattle caused: (i) changes in microbial community structure; and (ii) alterations in elemental cycling throughout the terrestrial system. This exposure caused changes in fungal : bacterial ratios, as well as changes in bacterial community structure. Additionally, exposure to manure from cattle treated with pirlimycin resulted in an approximate two‐fold increase in ecosystem respiration of recently fixed‐carbon, and a greater proportion of recently added nitrogen in plant and soil pools compared to the control manure. Manure from antibiotic‐treated cattle therefore affects terrestrial ecosystem function via the soil microbiome, causing decreased ecosystem carbon use efficiency, and altered nitrogen cycling.

Health-Promoting Phytonutrients Are Higher in Grass-Fed Meat and Milk

“…Plant diversity-and associated phytochemical richness-links animal, human, and environmental health (Provenza et al, 2019). In addition to reducing per capita consumption of meat in industrialized countries (Godfray et al, 2018), human and environmental health can be enhanced through livestock management practices that promote good land stewardship, limit environmental impacts (Wepking et al, 2019;Andrews and Johnson, 2020;Richter et al, 2020;Rosenzweig et al, 2020), and enhance the healthfulness of meat and dairy products (Provenza et al, 2019). While public health recommendations are for reducing red meat consumption to reduce risk of metabolic disease, no consideration is given to animal production practices in these dietary recommendations.…”

Ecological Responses of Maize Rhizosphere to Antibiotics Entering the Agricultural System in an Area with High Arsenicals Geological Background

“…Meanwhile, organic arsenic may be a primordial antibiotic, and the host in arsenic-rich conditions can pose evolutionary dynamics of host–microbe–environment interactions and present existence of a novel detoxification and adaptation mechanism [ 64 , 65 ]. However, the timing interaction of antibiotics with the soil environment could reduce this promotion effect and alter the microbial processes [ 66 , 67 ]. Microbial parameters, such as nutrient metabolism, enzymatic activities, and arsenic mobilization could be influenced by various factors, and they may not be specific for antibiotic effects in soil.…”

Functional substitutability of native herbivores by livestock for soil carbon depends on microbial decomposers

“…S5). Third, veterinary care offered to the livestock leads to inadvertent release of antibiotics and other drugs to the soil from their dung and urine, and this can alter microbial communities towards lower CUE (Wepking et al 2019).…”

“…5). Additionally, veterinary care offered to the livestock leads to inadvertent release of antibiotics and other drugs into soil from their dung and urine, and this can alter microbial communities towards lower CUE (Wepking et al 2019). Such overlapping factors need to be addressed together to improve soil-C sequestration, rather than in isolation.…”