Ecological and Evolutionary Drivers of Environmental Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant global health concern, affecting medical, veterinary, and agricultural systems. The environment plays a crucial role in the emergence, maintenance, and dissemination of ARGs, with compartments like soil, water, air, and wildlife harboring complex microbial communities and diverse mobile genetic elements. This article collection focuses on the ecological and evolutionary processes that underlie AMR’s environmental dissemination, including horizontal gene transfer (HGT), selection, and invasion. These eco-evolutionary dynamics are shaped by biotic and abiotic factors, as well as anthropogenic influences like wastewater discharge, agricultural runoff, urbanization, and climate change. Despite this, significant knowledge gaps remain, such as understanding how environmental selection pressures interact with HGT, how ecological context influences ARG persistence, and how ecological and evolutionary principles can be harnessed to reduce ARG prevalence.