Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Evaluating Leaf Responses to Microbial Secondary Metabolites Using A High-Throughput Format
Published on: December 5, 2025
Rhizosphere Metabolites and Microbial Communities Shape Lettuce Responses to Oxytetracycline Stress
Xingfan Li1,2,3, Minghui Yang1,2, Davey L Jones3
1College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Resource Utilization, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.
Abstract:
Oxytetracycline (OTC), a persistent antibiotic frequently detected in agricultural soils, can influence plant growth and rhizosphere ecology. Using lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) as a model, this study compared the effects of OTC under hydroponic and soil cultivation systems and integrated physiological, metabolomic, and microbiome analyses. Hydroponic exposure consistently inhibited growth, whereas soil culture showed a biphasic, dose-dependent pattern─low OTC doses stimulated growth while high doses suppressed it. In soil systems, OTC exposure reprogrammed rhizosphere metabolites and reshaped microbial networks, enriching taxa associated with OTC degradation and plant growth promotion (Chryseolinea, Nitrospira, Devosia, Haliangium). Structural equation modeling indicated that rhizosphere diversity and metabolite profiles mediate plant biomass responses. These findings reveal that rhizosphere metabolite-microbe networks play a key role in modulating plant hormetic responses to antibiotic stress, providing mechanistic insight into antibiotic-plant-microbe interactions in agroecosystems.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
Stringent Response in E. coli
Responses to Salt Stress
Other Stress Responses in Bacteria
Responses to Drought and Flooding
Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns

