Nano-Nd 2 O 3 reduced soil bacterial community function by altering the relative abundance of rare and sensitive taxa

Nanoparticulate-Nd 2 O 3 (nano-Nd 2 O 3 ) has been excessively utilized in agriculture, industry, and medicine. Hence, nano-Nd 2 O 3 can have environmental implications. However, the impact of nano-Nd 2 O 3 on alpha diversity, composition, and function of soil bacterial communities has not been thoroughly evaluated. We amended soil to achieve different concentrations of nano-Nd 2 O 3 (0, 10, 50, and 100 mg kg −1 soil) and incubated the mesocosms for 60 days. On days 7 and 60 of the experiment, we measured the effect of nano-Nd 2 O 3 on alpha diversity and composition of soil bacterial community. Further, the effect of nano-Nd 2 O 3 on the function of soil bacterial community was assessed based on changes in the activities of the six potential enzymes that mediate the cycling of nutrients in the soil. Nano-Nd 2 O 3 did not alter the alpha diversity and composition of the soil bacterial community; however, it negatively affected community function in a dose-dependent manner. Specifically, the activities of β -1,4-glucosidase and β -1,4-n-acetylglucosaminidase that mediate soil carbon and nitrogen cycling, respectively, were significantly affected on days 7 and 60 of the exposure. The effect of nano-Nd 2 O 3 on the soil enzymes correlated with changes in relative abundances of the rare and sensitive taxa, viz., Isosphaerales , Isosphaeraceae , Ktedonobacteraceae , and Streptomyces . Overall, we provide information for the safe implementation of technological applications that use nano-Nd 2 O 3 .