Applied Soil Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Topographic patterns of soil traits and macro fauna in oriental beech forests in Iran","authors":"Maryam Fazlollahi Mohammadi ,&nbsp;Brian Tobin ,&nbsp;Andrew Kulmatiski ,&nbsp;Seyed Gholamali Jalali ,&nbsp;Yahya Kooch","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106132","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106132","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hyrcanian forests are recognized by UNESCO World Heritage for their ecological importance related to their relic and rich endemic species. The goal of this study was to provide a baseline understanding of earthworm, nematode, and millipede abundance with regard to soil physicochemical properties and topography. Samples were collected from three soil depths, in five slope positions (summit, shoulder, backslope, foot slope, and toe slope) in each of three concave and three convex catenas. Organic matter (OM), organic C and N, pH, bulk density, particle size distribution, available P, K, Ca, the number and biomass of earthworms, nematodes, and millipedes were measured. Most soil properties (clay (<em>P value</em> = 3.61*), Ca (<em>P value</em> = 9.81*), K (<em>P value</em> = 10.07**), P (<em>P value</em> = 4.23*), and OM (<em>P value</em> = 3.76*)) were greater in downslope positions, however, pH (<em>P value</em> = 7.38**), C/N (<em>P value</em> = 9.81**), and bulk density (<em>P value</em> = 2.83*) showed the opposite pattern. Earthworm, nematode, millipede numbers and biomass were greater in concave catenas, toe slopes, and in shallow rather than deep soil samples. A regression tree analysis of soil OM successfully classified 85% of samples with variable importance decreasing from soil sample depth to slope position to <em>catena</em> shape. Results provide important baseline data, a simple model of soil traits, and a suggested approach for continued surveying of soils in this ecosystem which is susceptible to rapid changes due to climate change and human management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106132"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"SOC sequestration, N and P retention in mineral soils depend on arbuscular mycorrhizal tree dominance and soil microbial traits","authors":"Qianru Ji ,&nbsp;Qi Li ,&nbsp;Yanbo Yang ,&nbsp;Xiting Zhang ,&nbsp;Xudong Cao ,&nbsp;Huimei Wang ,&nbsp;Wenjie Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106136","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106136","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Most tree species are associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) or ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, which play a significant role in soil nutrient cycling. This research explored the effect of AM tree dominance (high, middle, low) on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) retention in high-latitude temperate forests. The parameters related to SOC, N, and P, and soil microbial traits by the metagenome analysis were determined. The results found that compared with low-AM plots, the content of SOC was 1.6 times greater in high-AM plots, accompanied by a significant increase in fungal C and respiratory activity. Moreover, high-AM plots had higher total soil nitrogen (TN), alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen (AN), nitrate-N, microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), and nitrification rates compared to low-AM plots. Total phosphorus (TP) levels increased about two times, while sharp decreases in organic P and plant-available P were observed in high-AM plots compared to low-AM plots. The abundance of C, N, and P functional genes in high-AM plots increased by up to 3.6, 1.5, and 1.2 times, respectively, compared to low-AM plots. PLS-PM analysis indicated that AM tree dominance, as well as the relative abundance of functional genes (Pentaheme cytochrome <em>c</em> nitrite reductase - nrfA, ferredoxin-dependent nitrate reductase - narB) and dominant phyla (Thaumarchaeota, Planctomycetes, and Gemmatimonadetes), were the main predictors of the variations in SOC sequestration, and N and P retention. Our finding highlighted that soil management strategies aimed at maximizing soil C sequestration and long-term nutrient availability should consider the tree mycorrhizal dominance in high-latitude temperate forests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106136"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using mid-infrared spectroscopy to estimate soil microbial properties at the continental scale","authors":"Soni Ghimire ,&nbsp;Yakun Zhang ,&nbsp;Jingyi Huang ,&nbsp;Erica L.-W. Majumder ,&nbsp;Alfred E. Hartemink ,&nbsp;Emily B. Graham ,&nbsp;Odeta Qafoku ,&nbsp;Joseph Andrews ,&nbsp;Zachary B. Freedman","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106110","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106110","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding microbial community properties is critical to improving the predictions of biogeochemical processes that govern soil carbon sequestration. In this observational study, mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy and partial least squares regression were used to estimate soil microbial and chemical properties from diverse ecosystems across the continental USA. Random validation technique suggested the estimation potential for soil microbial properties using MIR spectra, with the strongest estimations for microbial respiration, followed by microbial biomass nitrogen, β-glucosidase activity and microbial biomass carbon, as well as soil chemical properties including organic carbon and organic nitrogen. Microbial properties were mainly positively correlated to spectral regions associated with aliphatic C-H groups and C=O stretches of polysaccharides and negatively correlated to quartz and silicate-associated regions. Overall, this work suggests that MIR spectroscopy can characterize soil microbial properties and be useful for the improvement of continental scale soil carbon modeling and prediction programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106110"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143864994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil myxomycete community in temperate cropland and influence of straw turnover","authors":"Feng-Yun Zhao ,&nbsp;Guan-Xiu Guan ,&nbsp;Rui-Xuan Xiang ,&nbsp;Bai-You Chen ,&nbsp;Jing Feng ,&nbsp;Jian Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106133","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106133","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil myxomycetes are ecologically intriguing protozoa that constitute an essential part of the structure of soil microfood webs and play important ecological roles. However, there is no report on soil myxomycetes obtained by high-throughput sequencing in agroecosystems. This study used high-throughput sequencing and two primer pairs to detect soil myxomycetes in cropland used to grow maize. The soil was subject to two planting modes differing by varied straw return and tillage. Thirty soil samples were analyzed. Using primers S3b/S31R, 198 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of dark-spored myxomycetes (i.e., having brown-to-black spore mass) were identified. Using primers SFAtri/SRZtri, 108 OTUs of bright-spored (having bright-colored spore mass) myxomycetes were identified. These values indicated that agroecosystems are also a major myxomycete habitat. The β-diversity was significantly different between planting modes. The community structure of myxomycetes was sensitive to four soil properties (total nitrogen, total phosphorus, organic matter, water-soluble organic carbon) with significantly effect. This study provides new insights into the microhabitats of soil-inhabiting myxomycetes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106133"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143860559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Residual plastic film debris induced the reconstruction of soil microbial communities: Potential mechanisms affecting the natural attenuation of PAHs","authors":"Wenxiu Bao ,&nbsp;Ming Chen ,&nbsp;Wen Zhang ,&nbsp;Lei Wang ,&nbsp;Jianing Wang ,&nbsp;Hongwen Sun ,&nbsp;Fanyong Song ,&nbsp;Leilei Wang ,&nbsp;Bing Li","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106134","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106134","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The coexistence of plastic film residues and organic pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in agricultural soils is a rising concern, but microbial effects and contaminant attenuation linkages remain unclear. This study used soil microcosms, 16S rDNA quantification, metagenomics, and PAHs degradation assays to explore how bacterial communities and PAHs attenuation in contaminated soils were influenced by residual plastic films (non-biodegradable LDPE and biodegradable PBAT/PLA composite) in 45 d. Both plastic types restructured bacterial communities without altering richness, but biodegradable films reduced alpha-diversity. Beta-diversity varied significantly between bacteria on plastic surfaces and soil microbiota, differing across plastic types. Co-occurrence networks showed enhanced bacterial synergy and reduced modularity under plastic residues, with higher complexity and stability in biodegradable film-treated group. Plastic residues reduced total bacterial abundance by 1.9 × 10⁸–2.7 × 10⁸ copies/g, yet enriched plastic-PAHs dual-functional degraders in soil and on films (1.3–2.2 times the control). Metagenomic analysis identified these degraders carrying genes for plastic (e.g., K01046) and PAHs degradation (e.g., K01055) and their PAHs-degrading capability was confirmed by PAHs degradation assays. Natural attenuation of PAHs was accelerated in film-treated systems, with 0.5–0.6 mg/kg residue reduction compared to the control by day 45. Plastic film debris promoted PAHs dissipation by shaping “plastic-PAHs dual-degrading” bacterial consortia. The biodegradable film-enriched consortia had superior PAHs-degrading efficiency, coupled with higher KO abundance, leading to slightly stronger PAHs attenuation. These results improve understanding of plastic-film environmental impacts, PAHs biogeochemical processes, and co-pollution risk management in agroecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106134"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil salinity and moisture have contrasting effects on deterministic versus stochastic assembly of bacterial communities in alpine lake shores","authors":"Jie Fang ,&nbsp;Jonathan M. Adams ,&nbsp;Zihao Liu ,&nbsp;Yongcui Deng","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106115","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106115","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The lakeshore zone represents a crucial component of the lake ecosystems, highly susceptible to the properties of lake water. However, microbial community structure and assembly mechanisms in lakeshore soils across differing lake salinities remain poorly understood, particularly involving microbial generalists and specialists. Here, we sampled lakeshore soils from three lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: a freshwater lake (Yang Lake, YL), a brackish lake (Qinghai Lake, QHL) and a saline lake (Chaka Lake, CKL). Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we investigated bacterial diversity, co-occurrence patterns and assembly processes across these lakeshore soils under three distinct environmental conditions. Results showed that soil salinity and moisture were the most important factors influencing bacterial community composition, with diversity and network complexity decreasing as salinity increased while the opposite trend for moisture levels. CKL soils harbored the lowest bacterial gene copy number and diversity, yet the highest relative abundance of Gemmatimonadota, indicating their tolerance to high salinity. In contrast, the excessive moisture in YL and QHL soils probably promoted hypoxic conditions, leading to the blooming of Desulfobacterota and MBNT15 phyla. While stochastic processes predominantly influenced bacterial community assembly in YL and QHL soils, with goodness of fits of the Sloan neutral model being 0.74 and 0.63 respectively, their influence drastically decreased in CKL (goodness of fit = 0.17) soils. This reduction could be attributed to the strong selective pressures of high salinity and low water content in CKL soils, which led to greater environmental heterogeneity. Furthermore, generalists and specialists exhibited distinct ecological strategies, with specialists demonstrating greater network complexity maintenance and generalists being more influenced by stochasticity and likely to preserve network stability. Overall, this study highlights that soil salinity and moisture co-mediated the role of stochasticity on shaping bacterial communities, which deepens our understanding of the processes maintaining microbial diversity in alpine lakeshore ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106115"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143855939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fertilization type affects the genetic potential for phosphorus mineralization but not for phosphorus solubilization at the continental scale","authors":"Yanhong Yuan ,&nbsp;María Belén Barquero ,&nbsp;Yu Li ,&nbsp;Shuiqing Zhang ,&nbsp;Hongzhu Fan ,&nbsp;Huimin Zhang ,&nbsp;Qiang Li ,&nbsp;Shutang Liu ,&nbsp;Linlin Shi ,&nbsp;Andong Cai ,&nbsp;Chengjie Ren ,&nbsp;Minggang Xu ,&nbsp;Felipe Bastida ,&nbsp;Hu Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106112","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106112","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conventional and mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizers face depletion risks, but organo-mineral fertilization strategies can reduce P demand in crops. This study examines the long-term effects of applying manure (e.g., sludge, compost) alongside mineral fertilizers (NPKM) on P availability and microbial P cycling in maize and rice agroecosystems across diverse regions of China. We assessed how different fertilization strategies affect soil P availability, phosphatase activity, and the abundance of genes linked to P mineralization, solubilization, transport, and regulation. NPKM treatments significantly increased plant-available P and phosphatase activity, especially in maize, compared to inorganic (NPK) and control (CK) treatments. Enhanced P availability stemmed mainly from microbial-driven P mineralization, indicated by higher phosphatase activity and more abundant P mineralization genes, with no notable impact on P solubilization genes across treatments. Soil pH correlated positively with P solubilization and regulatory processes, highlighting environmental factors' role in P availability and associated microbial processes. Our long-term study demonstrates that combining mineral fertilizers with manure enhances P bioavailability by stimulating microbial mineralization, thereby supporting sustainable P management in agroecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106112"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143855938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Silver nanoparticles altered soil respiration, enzyme activity, carbon use efficiency and microbial community in an upland soil","authors":"Xincheng Hong ,&nbsp;Yudi Song ,&nbsp;Dongdong Cao ,&nbsp;Shengwen Xu ,&nbsp;Feng Gao ,&nbsp;Haoxin Fan ,&nbsp;Huaiying Yao","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106128","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106128","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are popular for their antimicrobial properties but their effects on soil carbon cycles remain unclear. This study explored AgNPs' impact on soil carbon dynamics and related microbial structures. Topsoil samples were treated with varying AgNPs concentrations (1, 10, 100, 500, and 1000 mg kg-1) over 56 days. Soil sampling was conducted at five time points (days 7, 14, 28, 42 and 56) to capture temporal changes. We assessed carbon mineralization, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and enzymatic activities, along with ¹³C-labeled DOC and ¹³C-phospholipid fatty acid assays for tracing microbial carbon assimilation and evaluating carbon use efficiency (CUE). Following exposure to AgNPs in Ag100, Ag500, and Ag1000 treatments, cumulative CO₂ emissions and DOC content increased by 40.3 %–170.0 % and 46.9 %–74.9 %, respectively. However, MBC decreased in Ag500 (63.8 %) and Ag1000 (63.0 %) treatments. Enzyme activities declined: β-glucosidase (43.7 %–48.4 %), β-xylosidase (48.9 %–79.7 %), and Cellobiohydrolase (50.8 %–97.6 %). Additionally, microbial CUE increased 49.7 % in Ag1000 treatment. Soil microbial communities exhibited significant alterations in response to AgNPs in Ag100, Ag500, and Ag1000 treatments as well. By day 56, the relative abundance of Gram-positive bacteria and Actinomycetes decreased by 5.7 %–15.9 % and 9.7 %–25.8 %, respectively, while Gram-negative bacteria increased significantly by 12.9 %–25.6 %. Meanwhile, the proportion of ¹³C-DOC derived C attributed to Gram-negative bacteria increased by 56.8 %–184.1 %, whereas Gram-positive bacteria (70.8 %–99.5 %) and Actinomycetes (64.2 %–82.3 %) decreased. These findings reveal the substantial role of AgNPs in altering soil carbon processes and microbial communities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106128"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143850148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microbial community assembly elucidates differential biotic homogenization in soils caused by agricultural expansion in the Yangtze River estuary","authors":"Yufan Yang ,&nbsp;Yanhan Ji ,&nbsp;Shuying Wang ,&nbsp;Congrui Liu ,&nbsp;Ping Zhang ,&nbsp;Guifeng Gao ,&nbsp;Yu Shi ,&nbsp;Jiandong Jiang ,&nbsp;Xu Liu ,&nbsp;Baozhan Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106105","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106105","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Agricultural expansion induces the homogenization of soil bacterial communities on a global scale; however, the extent to which this phenomenon affects different microbial taxa and the consistency of the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Here, we conducted a comprehensive survey at the Yangtze River estuary, comparing coastal wetlands with adjacent croplands converted from these wetlands. By integrating 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing with null model approaches, we characterized soil bacterial and archaeal communities and identified key ecological drivers. Our results reveal that land conversion leads to biotic homogenization across both bacterial and archaeal domains, particularly in archaea. While microbial communities in wetlands are primarily influenced by hydrological factors (e.g., soil moisture and electrical conductivity), total carbon and nitrogen content emerge as the dominant determinants in croplands. Network analysis indicated a significant reduction in the complexity and stability of microbial networks in croplands compared to wetlands. Null model analysis further suggested that homogenizing dispersal, rather than selection, predominantly shapes community structure for both bacteria and archaea. Interestingly, heterogeneous filtering mitigated this homogenization in soil bacteria, accounting for the differences in community similarity observed following agricultural expansion. Specifically, agricultural management induced the dominance of ammonia-oxidizing <em>Thaumarchaeota</em> in archaea, with a significant 86.65 % increase in <em>Nitrososphaerales</em> in croplands, driven by homogenization, while sulfate-reducing bacteria <em>Desulfocapsa</em> showed the strongest response to homogeneous dispersal in bacteria. Overall, our study elucidates the widespread impact of microbial homogenization due to agricultural expansion and clarifies the mechanisms responsible for the observed disparities among microbial taxa.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106105"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143850248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rhizosphere endophytes as allies in plant defense against heavy metals and organic pollutants in soil: Advances and applications","authors":"Sicheng Hang ,&nbsp;Chen Wu ,&nbsp;Guanwei Peng ,&nbsp;Feng Li ,&nbsp;Fei Ge ,&nbsp;Jie Gan ,&nbsp;Ling Li ,&nbsp;Jie Li","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106119","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106119","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil degradation caused by heavy metals and organic pollutants poses a critical global threat to environmental health and agricultural sustainability. Rhizosphere endophytes have garnered significant attention in their roles in enhancing agricultural productivity, promoting ecological sustainability, and serving as effective tools to support host plants in resisting or remediating soil contaminants. This review synthesizes current knowledge of the diversity, sources, and colonization mechanisms of rhizosphere endophytes. It highlights their dual roles in directly mitigating pollutant stress and indirectly enhancing plant resilience, while exploring their potential applications in environmental remediation. Rhizosphere endophytes are valuable sources of bioactive compounds and functional enzymes, secreting extracellular polymers and degradative enzymes to degrade organic pollutants or reduce the bioavailability of heavy metals. These microorganisms engage in co-metabolic processes with their hosts, enhancing plant antioxidant systems and mitigating the accumulation of organic pollutants and heavy metals in plant tissues. Furthermore, rhizosphere endophytes support host plants through indirect mechanisms by promoting plant growth, enhancing defenses against pathogens and pests, and modulating rhizosphere niches to recruit beneficial microbial communities, thereby enhancing plant resilience to environmental stress. Further research is necessary to improve the remediation efficiency of rhizosphere endophyte–plant systems, refine the selection of effective endophytes, and expand their ecological applications. This review underscores their ecological and biotechnological potential and outlines key research priorities to advance their use in sustainable soil remediation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106119"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143850149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}