Figure 1. Experimental design to investigate effects of disturbances on canopy soil bacterial communities.

The undisturbed canopy soil attached to live branches (canopy-original) was compared to three experimental treatments: canopy epiphytic material (EM) on severed dead branches suspended in the canopy (canopy-severed), canopy EM on dead branches transplanted to the forest floor (ground-perched), and canopy EM removed from the branch and placed directly on the forest floor (ground-flat). In addition, all treatments were compared to undisturbed ground soil underneath the tree (ground-original). Illustration by Renae Curtz and Doug Cornwall.