Body size: a hidden trait of the organisms that influences the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in soil

Body size is a key life-history trait of organisms, which has important ecological functions. However, the relationship between soil antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) distribution and organisms' body size has not been systematically reported so far. Herein, the impact of organic fertilizer on the soil ARGs and organisms (bacteria, fungi, and nematode) at the aggregate level was analyzed. The results showed that the smaller the soil aggregate size, the greater the abundance of ARGs, and the larger the body size of bacteria and nematodes. Further analysis revealed significant positive correlations of ARG abundance with the body sizes of bacteria, fungi, and nematodes, respectively. Additionally, the structural equation model demonstrated that changes in soil fertility mainly regulate the ARG abundance by affecting bacterial body size. The random forest model revealed that total phosphorus was the primary soil fertility factor influencing the body size of organisms. Therefore, these findings proposed that excessive application of phosphate fertilizers could increase the risk of soil ARG transmission by increasing the body size of soil organisms. This study highlights the significance of organisms' body size in determining the distribution of soil ARGs and proposes a new disadvantage of excessive fertilization from the perspective of ARGs. Environmental Implication Clarifying the factors that influence the distribution patterns of soil antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is crucial for regulating the ecological risks of soil ARGs. This study revealed the importance of organisms' body size on the distribution of soil ARGs. The findings showed significant positive correlations between the ARG abundance and the body size of bacteria, fungi, and nematodes, respectively. Furthermore, the results indicated that changes in soil fertility (especially total phosphorus) can affect the body size of soil organisms, hence regulating the abundance of soil ARGs. These results provided a new potential pathway to regulate the ecological risks of ARGs.