o-Cresol is a toxic substance with strong irritating and corrosive effects on skin and mucous membranes. To date, information on the effects of o-cresol on microbial communities in the natural environment is very limited. In the present study, 16S rRNA sequencing and metagenomic technique were carried out to elucidate the effects of the o-cresol spill on microbial communities in river sediments and nearby soils. o-Cresol spill induced the increase in the relative abundance of phyla Planctomycetes and Gemmatimonadetes, suggesting their resilience to o-cresol-induced stress. Uncultured Gemmatimonadetes genera and the MND1 genus exhibited enrichment, while the Pseudomonas genus dominated across all samples, indicating their potential pivotal roles in adapting to the o-cresol spill. Moreover, o-cresol spill impaired the metabolic functions of microbes but triggered their defense mechanisms. Under o-cresol pressure, microbial functions related to carbon fixation were upregulated and functions associated with sulfur metabolism were downregulated. In addition, the o-cresol spill led to an increase in functional genes related to the conversion of o-cresol to 3-methylcatechol. Several genes involved in the degradation of aromatic compounds were also identified, potentially contributing to the biodegradation of o-cresol. This study provides fresh insights into the repercussions of an abrupt o-cresol spill on microbial communities in natural environments, shedding light on their adaptability, defense mechanisms, and biodegradation potential.

邻甲酚是一种有毒物质，对皮肤、粘膜有强烈的刺激和腐蚀作用。迄今为止，有关邻甲酚对自然环境中微生物群落影响的信息非常有限。在本研究中，采用16S rRNA测序和宏基因组技术来阐明邻甲酚泄漏对河流沉积物和附近土壤中微生物群落的影响。邻甲酚泄漏导致浮霉菌门和芽胞藻门的相对丰度增加，表明它们对邻甲酚引起的应激具有抵抗力。未培养的Gemmatimonadetes属和MND1属表现出富集，而假单胞菌属在所有样品中占主导地位，表明它们在适应邻甲酚泄漏方面具有潜在的关键作用。此外，邻甲酚泄漏损害了微生物的代谢功能，但触发了它们的防御机制。在邻甲酚压力下，微生物与碳固定相关的功能上调，与硫代谢相关的功能下调。此外，邻甲酚泄漏导致与邻甲酚转化为3-甲基儿茶酚相关的功能基因增加。还鉴定了一些参与芳香族化合物降解的基因，可能有助于邻甲酚的生物降解。这项研究为邻甲酚突然泄漏对自然环境中微生物群落的影响提供了新的见解，揭示了它们的适应性、防御机制和生物降解潜力。