Role of Microbes in One Health: The Interconnectedness of Soil, Plant and Animal Health in Maintaining Ecosystem Services and Functions

Soils play an integral role in addressing some of the most pressing global challenges such as climate change mitigation through aiding carbon storage, and food security through aiding sustained agricultural production. In addition, soils also play a major role in pollution control and mitigating environmental degradation. Such soil functions rely heavily, if not entirely, on soil microbial communities and their microbiological processes. Soil microbes play an important part in soil health by regulating the availability of essential macro- and micro-nutrients required by plants from soils, to support healthy functioning of both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Soil microbial communities comprise plant, animal and human pathogens as well as beneficial organisms that can promote plant growth, and compete with or inhibit pathogens, aiding the development of disease resistance and resilience in other larger living organisms. Hence, understanding the interactions within soil microbial communities, and their relationships with plant, animal and human microbiomes is key to informing ecosystem and public health.

Global soils with its high heterogeneity comprising multiple unique ecological niches, provide habitat for nearly 60% of biodiversity on earth. These soil environments and its rich native microbial communities engaging in multiple complex interactions, can influence the survival of an introduced microbial species, whether pathogenic or beneficial. Many of these interactions happen through complex biogeochemical processes. For example, copper, cadmium and zinc are elements with known antimicrobial properties, and among the most common heavy metal contaminants in soils. Increased availability of these elements in soils are known to create antibiotic resistance in microbial communities evolved in such environments, due to development of co- or cross-resistance. Shifts in microbial communities along with pathogen survival can impact plant, animal, human and ecosystem health, as well as biogeochemical cycling essential for planetary health. Many of these interactions are complex and are not fully understood. In this topic we aim to explore the interactions among soil, plant, animal and human microbiomes, with a particular focus on promoting One Health approach for the planet.

This Research Topic invites original research, perspectives and critical reviews on the interactions between microbial communities, any one or multiple components of One Health. The research areas of interest include, but are not limited to the following topics:

• Cause-effect interactions between plant/animal/human health and soil microbial communities in natural and agro-ecosystems
• Soil microbial communities’ role in maintaining plant, animal, human and ecosystem/public health
• Studies exploring the interactions between pathogens, antimicrobial resistance and native soil/plant/animal/human microbiome, and their wider implications
• Experimental studies on pest/pathogen management interventions in agricultural or natural ecosystems and their impact on soil/plant/animal/human microbiome.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Microbial Ecology, Soil Microbes, Rhizosphere, Pathogens, Antimicrobial Resistance, Antibiotics, Biogeochemical Cycles, Climate Change, Sustainable Agriculture, Forest Health.

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.