Oxytetracycline and Ciprofloxacin Exposure Altered the Composition of Protistan Consumers in an Agricultural Soil

Abstract

Protists, an integral component of soil microbiome, are one of the main predators of bacteria. Bacteria can produce toxic secondary metabolites, e.g., antibiotics to fight stress under the predation pressure of protists; however, impacts of antibiotics on the profile of protists in soils remain unclear. Here, we constructed a microcosm incubation to investigate the effects of two common antibiotics, oxytetracycline and ciprofloxacin, on the protistan and bacterial communities in an arable soil. Rhizaria were the most abundant protist supergroup, followed by Amoebozoa, Stramenopiles, and Aveolata. Among trophic functional groups, consumers were predominant within the protistan community. The ..