one-health
One Health is an interdisciplinary framework that recognizes human, animal, and environmental health as deeply interconnected, requiring coordinated research and policy across multiple sectors. In plant science, this approach is significant because crops and ecosystems serve as critical interfaces where pathogens, contaminants, and ecological stressors can transfer between soil, plants, animals, and humans. Studying plants through a One Health lens helps researchers understand how agricultural practices, plant microbiomes, and food systems contribute to broader public health and ecosystem resilience.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-04-14
Plants naturally protect their root-dwelling bacteria from antibiotic contamination in farm soil, keeping beneficial microbes functional even when antibiotics from manure or runoff are present. The plant itself — not the antibiotic — is the dominant force shaping which bacteria live inside and around its roots.
Spatial location (inside vs. outside the plant) explained more bacterial community variation (R²=0.189) than antibiotic treatment (R²=0.145, non-significant), making compartment the primary driver of microbiome structure.
Bacteria inside plant roots (endosphere) showed much lower diversity than soil or root-surface communities (P=0.0001), but core plant-beneficial functions remained stable across all antibiotic treatments.
Antibiotic exposure boosted antibiotic-degrading bacteria in bulk soil (P=0.042), hinting that the microbiome can actively break down pharmaceutical residues rather than simply tolerating them.
