Long-term legacy of phytoremediation on plant succession and soil microbial communities in petroleum-contaminated sub-Arctic soils

The Farmers Loop Road site was contaminated with diesel or crude oil in 1995 and subjected to phytoremediation treatments for one year. Here we re-examined the 15 years after site management had ended to explore the legacy of initial treatments on the plant and microbial ecology. We found that recruited vegetation, along with current bulk soil microbial community structure and function were all heavily influenced by initial planting and/or fertilization treatments.