Antibiotic drugs administered on livestock cut carbon in soil and affect climate, says IISc study

Source: The post is based on the article “‘Antibiotic drugs administered on livestock cut carbon in soil and affect climate, says IISc study” published in The Hindu on 10th March 2023.

What is the News?

Researchers at the Centre for Ecological Sciences(CES), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), have found that grazing by livestock leads to lower carbon storage in soil compared to grazing by wild herbivores.

About the study

A study was conducted to compare the characteristics of livestock such as sheep and cattle with their wild relatives such as the yak and ibex in terms of their respective impact on soil carbon stocks.

The researchers found that grazing by livestock leads to lower carbon storage in soil compared to grazing by wild herbivores.

This difference appears to be due to the use of veterinary antibiotics such as tetracycline on livestock.

The researchers said that when released into the soil through dung and urine, these antibiotics alter the microbial communities in the soil in ways that are detrimental to sequestering carbon.

Significance of this study: This study highlights connections among human land use, antibiotics, microbes, soils and climate change.