Abstract:With social and economic development, anthropogenic activities have been exerting profound effects on the natural environment. Soil pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental problems threatening ecosystem stability, agricultural product safety, and human health. Soil ecosystem is a complex system consisting of plant roots, soil animals, and soil microorganisms, which play important roles in energy transfer and material cycling. Numerous pollutants such as heavy metals, organic compounds, and pathogens and antibiotic resistant genes, etc., can greatly influence soil ecosystem functions through their detrimental effects on soil organisms. On the other hand, soil organisms can evolve various strategies to adapt to the contaminated environment, mediate translocation and transformation of soil contaminants, and may have the potential for soil remediation. In this review, we summarize recent progresses in research on the interactions of soil organisms and soil pollutants, focusing on (1) eco-toxicological effects of soil pollution; (2) the mechanisms underlying the responses and adaptation of soil organisms to soil pollution; and (3) the principles and technologies for the bioremediation of contaminated soils. We also propose perspectives for future research, including changes in soil microbial community structure upon soil pollution, biotransformation and detoxification of pollutants by soil organisms, biological monitoring of soil pollution, and distribution and transmission of pathogens and antibiotic resistant genes in soil.