Invertebrates gut viromes mediate microbial adaptation to pharmaceutical diversity under warming

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Microbiology
• Ecotoxicology

Background:

• Pharmaceutical pollution poses an emerging threat to microbial communities and ecosystem functions.
• Climate warming exacerbates environmental stress, with significant ecological consequences.
• The impact of combined pharmaceutical and warming pressures on soil invertebrate gut viromes remains largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the joint effects of pharmaceutical diversity and fluctuating warming on the gut microbiomes of soil invertebrates, specifically focusing on bacteria-virus interactions.
• To understand how these combined stressors influence viral community structure and function within the host gut.
• To explore the role of gut viruses in mediating host resilience and microbial adaptation.

Main Methods:

• Controlled microcosm experiments using the soil invertebrate Folsomia candida.
• Analysis of gut viral and bacterial communities under different pharmaceutical and warming treatments.
• Functional validation of key viral genes in a bacterial model system (Escherichia coli BL21).

Main Results:

• Pharmaceutical diversity significantly reduced gut viral alpha diversity, an effect not seen in surrounding soils.
• Diurnal warming increased lysogenic phages and enhanced auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) conferring oxidative stress tolerance.
• Pharmaceuticals increased lytic phages, promoting nutrient cycling and stimulating bacteria involved in pharmaceutical degradation.
• Warming amplified pharmaceutical-induced disruptions in bacterial communities and strengthened bacteria-virus co-occurrence networks.

Conclusions:

• Gut viruses are critical regulators of microbial adaptation to combined chemical and climate stressors.
• The gut virome influences host resilience and microbial dynamics, offering insights into ecosystem stability.
• Gut viromes can serve as early indicators of combined pharmaceutical and warming stress in soil invertebrates, highlighting the need for integrated One Health approaches.