The amount of mercury that can actually be taken up by organisms doesn't always match the total mercury in the soil, showing that the chemical form of mercury matters more than just how much is present.

Soils with long-term mercury contamination may also have more bacteria that can resist antibiotics, because the same mechanisms that help with mercury resistance might also help with antibiotic resistance.

The bacteria Pedosphaera and Candidatus Solibacter are more common in soils with higher levels of bioavailable mercury.

Microbes in mercury-contaminated soil have more genes related to stress response, moving substances across cell membranes, and phosphate metabolism compared to less contaminated soils.

Soils with mercury contamination have many genes that help microbes resist antibiotics and toxic substances, regardless of how much mercury is present or the time of year.

The bacteria Burkholderia and Pseudomonas are more common in soils with higher levels of total mercury and methylmercury.