Tackling global biogeography and drivers of soil microbial dehalogenation traits and taxa: Insights from metagenomic profiling based on a curated dehalogenase database

To identify microbial resources for dehalogenation, develop effective remediation strategies, and reveal their significance in “One Health”, it is crucial to understand the occurrence, distribution, and drivers of soil dehalogenation functional traits and taxonomy groups at a broad scale, which is currently not well understood. To address the gaps, we characterized the biogeography of both dehalogenation traits and taxa assigned to six dehalogenation pathways, by metagenomic profiling global 4821 soils from eight habitats, based on a manually curated dehalogenase database (DhgaseDB). We found dehalogenation genes and microbes assigned to different pathways are everywhere, but varied consistently across habitats. The similarity of dehalogention traits and taxa composition declines with geographic distance, and that patterns are strongly correlated with geo-environmental factors. We identified anthropogenic organohalide pesticide inputs as the most influential factor on dehalogenation gene abundance, while soil properties, particularly pH, exert a larger impact on dehalogenation taxa diversity. Ultimately, we generated predictive maps of soil dehalogenation gene abundance and taxa diversity for the first time, highlighting the microbial dehalogenation hotpots in East Asia, Australia, Southern Africa, and coastal regions. Collectively, our study highlights the significant role of various microbial dehalogenation processes in organohalide biotransformation and environmental microecology, providing the necessary methodological basis for a deeper comprehension of the underlying mechanisms, thereby contributing to the advancement of tailored strategies for organohalide remediation. •DhgaseDB was established for fast and accurate analysis of dehalogenation genes and taxa.•Dehalogenation genes and microbes are prevalent in global soils, but varied consistently across habitats.•Pesticide inputs are key to gene abundance, while soil pH significantly affects microbial diversity.•The first predictive maps of soil dehalogenation gene abundance and taxa diversity were generated.