Green Infrastructure Design Influences Communities of Urban Soil Bacteria

Area of Science:

• Urban ecology
• Environmental microbiology
• Soil science

Background:

• Green Infrastructure (GI) is crucial for managing urban runoff and enhancing ecosystem services.
• Microbial communities in engineered soils (Technosols) play a vital role in GI functions.
• Understanding bacterial diversity in GI is key to optimizing urban environmental quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize bacterial communities and diversity in GI Technosols in New York City.
• To investigate the impact of urban runoff and contaminants on soil bacterial composition.
• To assess the relationship between GI design, soil properties, and microbial diversity.

Main Methods:

• Bacterial community profiling in five GI types (vegetated swales, ROWB, urban forest).
• Analysis of soil physicochemical properties (pH, organic matter).
• Assessment of anthropogenic disturbance indicators in soil bacterial communities.

Main Results:

• Right-of-way bioswales (ROWB) exhibited the highest bacterial biodiversity.
• Soil pH significantly influenced bacterial community composition.
• Anthropogenic disturbances, including contaminants and animal feces, were detected in GI bacterial communities.
• GI design connected to street runoff (ROWB) comprehensively affected soil parameters and bacterial communities.

Conclusions:

• GI design, particularly ROWB, significantly shapes soil bacterial communities.
• Urban contaminants and soil pH are key drivers of microbial diversity in GI.
• Further research should explore organic matter sources and vegetation-microbe-soil interactions in GI.