Soil bacterial communities associated with ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) in an emerald ash borer infested forest.

We utilized archived DNA sequencing data from soil samples collected in 2011 in central Ohio, at the early onset of emerald ash borer infestation, to examine if live ash trees exhibited associations with soil bacterial communities. Briefly, we compared bacterial community structure and estimated function in plots that contained ash trees to nearby plots that did not, and we found that they were different. Specifically, the relative abundance of Acidobacteria and correlated functions involved in carbon, phosphorus, and sulfur cycling were greater in non-ash plots. Most other bacterial phyla were relatively more abundant in ash plots, and nitrogen cycling gene abundance did not seem to be affected by differences in soil microbial community structure. This research sets a preliminary baseline from which to monitor soil bacterial successional trajectories in the wake of ash tree mortality, and may provide a deeper understanding of ash tree legacy effects in soils that may be applied to restoration and management efforts.