Soil contains incredibly diverse communities of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and more! I am interested in the relationships between these soil microbial communities and the ecosystems they inhabit. In particular, my research focuses on how environmental stressors affect how microorganisms contribute to important terrestrial ecosystem services such as crop productivity, nutrient retention, and carbon storage. In my lab, we integrate concepts and techniques from across the fields of soil science, microbiology, and ecosystem ecology to address these important topics.
Areas of Interest: Microbial Ecology, Soil Biogeochemistry, Ecosystem Ecology
Scholars@UK
Functional diversity of soil microbial communities increases with ecosystem development
Sveen, T. R., Viketoft, M., Bengtsson, J., Strengbom, J., Lejoly, J., Buegger, F., Pritsch, K., Fritscher, J., Hildebrand, F., Osburn, E., Hannula, S. E. & Bahram, M., Dec 2025, In: Nature Communications. 16, 1, 10408.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Relative abundances of bacterial phyla are strong indicators of community-scale microbial growth rates in soil
Osburn, E. D., Weissman, J. L., Strickland, M. S., Bahram, M., Stone, B. W. & McBride, S. G., Dec 2025, In: Environmental Microbiome. 20, 1, 131.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Apex Scavenger Declines Have Cascading Effects on Soil Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Processes
Stephenson, T., Crowder, D. W., Osburn, E., Strickland, M., Jones, M., Bartel, S., Kittipalawattanapol, K., Cunningham, C. X., Hudiburg, T., Storfer, A., Piaskowski, J. & Lynch, L., Sep 2025, In: Global Change Biology. 31, 9, e70520.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Microbial mat activity and soil biogeochemistry across variable phosphorus availability in Taylor Valley, Antarctica
Power, S. N., Osburn, E. D. & Barrett, J. E., Aug 2025, In: Antarctic Science. 37, 4, p. 205-217 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Effects of experimentally elevated virus abundance on soil carbon cycling across varying ecosystem types
Osburn, E. D., Baer, S. G., Evans, S. E., McBride, S. G. & Strickland, M. S., Nov 2024, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 198, 109556.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Global patterns in the growth potential of soil bacterial communities
Osburn, E. D., McBride, S. G., Bahram, M. & Strickland, M. S., Dec 2024, In: Nature Communications. 15, 1, 6881.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Microbial dark matter could add uncertainties to metagenomic trait estimations
Osburn, E. D., McBride, S. G. & Strickland, M. S., Jun 2024, In: Nature Microbiology. 9, 6, p. 1427-1430 4 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review
Volatile methanol and acetone additions increase labile soil carbon and inhibit nitrification
McBride, S. G., Osburn, E. D., Barrett, J. E. & Strickland, M. S., Oct 1 2019, In: Biogeochemistry. 145, 1-2, p. 127-140 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Abundance and functional importance of complete ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (comammox) versus canonical nitrifiers in temperate forest soils
Osburn, E. D. & Barrett, J. E., Jun 2020, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 145, 107801.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Soil microbial response to Rhododendron understory removal in southern Appalachian forests: Effects on extracellular enzymes
Osburn, E. D., Elliottt, K. J., Knoepp, J. D., Miniat, C. F. & Barrett, J. E., Dec 2018, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 127, p. 50-59 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Historical forest disturbance mediates soil microbial community responses to drought
Osburn, E. D., Badgley, B. D., Aylward, F. O. & Barrett, J. E., Nov 2021, In: Environmental Microbiology. 23, 11, p. 6405-6419 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Emergent properties of microbial communities drive accelerated biogeochemical cycling in disturbed temperate forests
Osburn, E. D., Badgley, B. D., Strahm, B. D., Aylward, F. O. & Barrett, J. E., Dec 2021, In: Ecology. 102, 12, e03553.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Soil Bacterial and Fungal Communities Exhibit Distinct Long-Term Responses to Disturbance in Temperate Forests
Osburn, E. D., McBride, S. G., Aylward, F. O., Badgley, B. D., Strahm, B. D., Knoepp, J. D. & Barrett, J. E., Dec 11 2019, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 10, 2872.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Historical forest disturbance reduces soil microbial efficiency across multiple carbon sources
Osburn, E. D., McBride, S. G. & Barrett, J. E., Feb 2022, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 165, 108542.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Effects of Rhododendron removal on soil bacterial and fungal communities in southern Appalachian forests
Osburn, E. D., Miniat, C. F., Elliott, K. J. & Barrett, J. E., Sep 15 2021, In: Forest Ecology and Management. 496, 119398.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Disturbance of eucalypt forests alters the composition, function, and assembly of soil microbial communities
Osburn, E. D., Moon, C., Stephenson, T., Kittipalawattanapol, K., Jones, M., Strickland, M. S. & Lynch, L. M., Sep 1 2023, In: FEMS Microbiology Ecology. 99, 9, fiad085.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Litter quality is in the eye of the beholder: Initial decomposition rates as a function of inoculum characteristics
Strickland, M. S., Osburn, E., Lauber, C., Fierer, N. & Bradford, M. A., Jun 2009, In: Functional Ecology. 23, 3, p. 627-636 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Evaluating the roles of microbial functional breadth and home-field advantage in leaf litter decomposition
Osburn, E. D., Hoch, P. J., Lucas, J. M., McBride, S. G. & Strickland, M. S., May 2022, In: Functional Ecology. 36, 5, p. 1258-1267 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Volatile and Dissolved Organic Carbon Sources Have Distinct Effects on Microbial Activity, Nitrogen Content, and Bacterial Communities in Soil
McBride, S. G., Osburn, E. D., Lucas, J. M., Simpson, J. S., Brown, T., Barrett, J. E. & Strickland, M. S., Feb 2023, In: Microbial Ecology. 85, 2, p. 659-668 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Effects of micronutrient fertilization on soil carbon pools and microbial community functioning
Osburn, E. D., Hoch, P. J., Prather, C. M. & Strickland, M. S., Jan 2023, In: Applied Soil Ecology. 181, 104664.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Education
- Virginia Tech, PhD, 2021
- University of Georgia, MA, 2011
- University of Georgia, BS, 2009
Associated Departments