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Ecosystem properties in urban areas vary with habitat type and settlement age

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Abstract

Aims

Urban ecosystems comprise a range of habitats that support key ecosystem processes that are fundamental for the functioning of their soils. Relatively little is known about how different types of urban greenspaces and settlement ages influence the functioning of these important environments.

Methods

We evaluated how four types of urban greenspaces (habitat types: natural areas, parks, gardens, roadside verges) and three settlement ages (5 to 150 years) influence multiple plant and soil ecosystem properties at 60 sites in two seasons in urban areas in eastern Australia.

Results

The type of urban greenspace and the age of the settlement influenced their ecosystem properties. In particular, habitat type had a greater effect on nutrient pools and plant biomass than settlement age, with greater nutrient pools in household gardens, but lower plant cover and plant height on roadside verges. Natural areas supported richer plant communities. We found that soil pH and soil moisture (particularly in summer) explained the contrasting effects of urban environments and settlement age on fundamental ecosystem properties. Older settlements tended to have lower soil pH, which was generally associated with greater enzyme concentrations. Soil pH effects varied depending on functions and season.

Conclusions

Our work highlights the importance of considering settlement age and urban greenspace type for understanding the complexity of urban ecosystems, and the functions that they provide to humanity. Understanding the links between urban habitats, settlement age and ecological functions is a first step to promoting practices that sustain healthy and productive urban environments.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Cities of Penrith and Richmond, and the many householders, for allowing us to collect soil and measure plants in their parks, roadsides and gardens. M.D-B. is also supported by a Ramón y Cajal grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (RYC2018-025483-I). M.D-B. was also supported by a 2019 Leonardo Grant for Researchers and Cultural Creators, BBVA Foundation (URBANFUN), and by a Large Research Grant from the British Ecological Society (Grant Agreement No. LRA17\1193, MUSGONET). Plant-microbial interaction work in BKS lab is supported by by the Australian Research Council project DP170104634. The BBVA Foundation accepts no responsibility for the opinions, statements and contents included in the project and/or the results thereof, which are entirely the responsibility of the authors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia

    David J. Eldridge

  2. Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia

    Merryn Benham, Brajesh K. Singh & Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo

  3. Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation, Western Sydney University, Penrith South DC, NSW, 2751, Australia

    Brajesh K. Singh

  4. Departamento de Ecología, Universidad de Alicante, Carretera de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, C.P. 03690, Spain

    Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo

  5. Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, 41013, Spain

    Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo

Authors
  1. David J. Eldridge
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  2. Merryn Benham
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  3. Brajesh K. Singh
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  4. Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
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Contributions

M.D-B. and M.B. conceived the study and M.B collected the data. B.K.S. undertook microbial analyses, D.J.E. analysed the data and wrote the first draft and all authors contributed critically to the drafts and gave final approval for publication.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David J. Eldridge.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Eldridge, D.J., Benham, M., Singh, B.K. et al. Ecosystem properties in urban areas vary with habitat type and settlement age. Plant Soil 461, 489–500 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-04836-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-04836-w

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