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

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

In soils with mercury contamination, the most common types of bacteria belong to groups called Pseudomonadota, Bacteroidota, Bacillota, Acidobacteriota, and Actinomycetota.

The fungi Ascomycota and Basidomycota are more common in soils with higher levels of total mercury and methylmercury.

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.

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.