Dominant Role of Habitat Transformation in Driving the Divergence of Health-Risk Related Microbial Functional Genes in Karst Mountain Parks: A Metagenomic Study.

The transformation of natural forests into urban parks has had a profound impact on subterranean ecosystems. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms by which this land use change affects human health through alterations in soil microbial functional genes remain to be elucidated. Focusing on a karst mountain park in Guiyang, China, we used metagenomic sequencing to compare the abundance and composition of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), pathogen-host interaction genes (PHIs), and virulence factor genes (VFs) between remnant forests and artificial green spaces, and examined how plant diversity and soil chemometrics drove their variation. Habitat type emerged as the strongest driver of gene composition. PHIs and VFs were more abundant in remnant forests and positively correlated with native plant diversity, while ARGs were enriched in artificial green spaces. All three gene categories showed positive correlations with soil nitrogen content in artificial green spaces. Remnant forests harbored microbial functions linked to complex plant-microbe interactions, whereas intensive management in artificial green spaces selects for antibiotic resistance and nutrient-adaptive genes. These findings reveal distinct health risks across habitats, suggesting that differentiated park management strategies are needed to mitigate public health risks while maintaining ecological sustainability.