Vulnerability of soil organic carbon in artificially constructed urban green spaces: Linking soil organic carbon physical fractions, microbial dynamics, and soil properties
Soils in urban green spaces are often artificially constructed and highly disturbed, yet their capacity for long-term carbon (C) sequestration remains underexplored. This study evaluates soil organic C (SOC) content and vulnerability in three types of urban green spaces, tree-only roadside greenery,...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Geoderma |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125002022 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849423149594050560 |
|---|---|
| author | Ye Lim Park You Jin Kim Jun Ge Hyun Claire Chenu Gayoung Yoo |
| author_facet | Ye Lim Park You Jin Kim Jun Ge Hyun Claire Chenu Gayoung Yoo |
| author_sort | Ye Lim Park |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Soils in urban green spaces are often artificially constructed and highly disturbed, yet their capacity for long-term carbon (C) sequestration remains underexplored. This study evaluates soil organic C (SOC) content and vulnerability in three types of urban green spaces, tree-only roadside greenery, belt-type roadside greenery, and urban parks, with a natural grasslands serving as a reference. We analyzed SOC physical fractions and microbial activity under varying soil structural and chemical conditions, using the SOC vulnerability index (SOCVI), defined as the ratio of labile to stable fractions, to assess SOC stability. Results show that urban parks and tree-only roadside greenery have 87% lower SOC content than grasslands on average, and they contain a disproportionately high fraction of labile C, which increases SOC vulnerability. Tree-only roadside greenery exhibited particularly high SOCVI primarily because, despite low overall C inputs, its microbial activity relative to SOC is high, leading to inefficient stabilization of SOC as stable fractions. This condition is further exacerbated by alkaline pH and compaction, which hinder effective C sequestration. Although belt-type roadside greenery achieved higher SOC content through additional C inputs from understory vegetation and slightly improved soil structure, its SOCVI remained high, indicating that increased C inputs alone does not ensure stabilization. Structural equation modeling identified that mean annual temperature (MAT), soil pH and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) as key regulators of SOCVI. These findings underscore that enhancing SOC sequestration in urban green spaces requires integrated management strategies that optimize soil pH, improve structural properties, and support beneficial microbial activity alongside increased C inputs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eb6b3d8f879e400ba3ce7944c34a9e66 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1872-6259 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geoderma |
| spelling | doaj-art-eb6b3d8f879e400ba3ce7944c34a9e662025-08-20T03:30:45ZengElsevierGeoderma1872-62592025-07-0145911736410.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117364Vulnerability of soil organic carbon in artificially constructed urban green spaces: Linking soil organic carbon physical fractions, microbial dynamics, and soil propertiesYe Lim Park0You Jin Kim1Jun Ge Hyun2Claire Chenu3Gayoung Yoo4Department of Applied Environmental Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, 1732, Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446701, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, 1732, Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446701, Republic of KoreaUniversité Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR Ecosys F-91120 Palaiseau, FranceDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, 1732, Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446701, Republic of Korea; Corresponding author at: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, 1732, Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446701, Republic of Korea.Soils in urban green spaces are often artificially constructed and highly disturbed, yet their capacity for long-term carbon (C) sequestration remains underexplored. This study evaluates soil organic C (SOC) content and vulnerability in three types of urban green spaces, tree-only roadside greenery, belt-type roadside greenery, and urban parks, with a natural grasslands serving as a reference. We analyzed SOC physical fractions and microbial activity under varying soil structural and chemical conditions, using the SOC vulnerability index (SOCVI), defined as the ratio of labile to stable fractions, to assess SOC stability. Results show that urban parks and tree-only roadside greenery have 87% lower SOC content than grasslands on average, and they contain a disproportionately high fraction of labile C, which increases SOC vulnerability. Tree-only roadside greenery exhibited particularly high SOCVI primarily because, despite low overall C inputs, its microbial activity relative to SOC is high, leading to inefficient stabilization of SOC as stable fractions. This condition is further exacerbated by alkaline pH and compaction, which hinder effective C sequestration. Although belt-type roadside greenery achieved higher SOC content through additional C inputs from understory vegetation and slightly improved soil structure, its SOCVI remained high, indicating that increased C inputs alone does not ensure stabilization. Structural equation modeling identified that mean annual temperature (MAT), soil pH and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) as key regulators of SOCVI. These findings underscore that enhancing SOC sequestration in urban green spaces requires integrated management strategies that optimize soil pH, improve structural properties, and support beneficial microbial activity alongside increased C inputs.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125002022Urban soilsCarbon sequestrationSoil compactionSoil pHGlomalin-related soil proteinMicrobial enzyme activities |
| spellingShingle | Ye Lim Park You Jin Kim Jun Ge Hyun Claire Chenu Gayoung Yoo Vulnerability of soil organic carbon in artificially constructed urban green spaces: Linking soil organic carbon physical fractions, microbial dynamics, and soil properties Geoderma Urban soils Carbon sequestration Soil compaction Soil pH Glomalin-related soil protein Microbial enzyme activities |
| title | Vulnerability of soil organic carbon in artificially constructed urban green spaces: Linking soil organic carbon physical fractions, microbial dynamics, and soil properties |
| title_full | Vulnerability of soil organic carbon in artificially constructed urban green spaces: Linking soil organic carbon physical fractions, microbial dynamics, and soil properties |
| title_fullStr | Vulnerability of soil organic carbon in artificially constructed urban green spaces: Linking soil organic carbon physical fractions, microbial dynamics, and soil properties |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vulnerability of soil organic carbon in artificially constructed urban green spaces: Linking soil organic carbon physical fractions, microbial dynamics, and soil properties |
| title_short | Vulnerability of soil organic carbon in artificially constructed urban green spaces: Linking soil organic carbon physical fractions, microbial dynamics, and soil properties |
| title_sort | vulnerability of soil organic carbon in artificially constructed urban green spaces linking soil organic carbon physical fractions microbial dynamics and soil properties |
| topic | Urban soils Carbon sequestration Soil compaction Soil pH Glomalin-related soil protein Microbial enzyme activities |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125002022 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yelimpark vulnerabilityofsoilorganiccarboninartificiallyconstructedurbangreenspaceslinkingsoilorganiccarbonphysicalfractionsmicrobialdynamicsandsoilproperties AT youjinkim vulnerabilityofsoilorganiccarboninartificiallyconstructedurbangreenspaceslinkingsoilorganiccarbonphysicalfractionsmicrobialdynamicsandsoilproperties AT jungehyun vulnerabilityofsoilorganiccarboninartificiallyconstructedurbangreenspaceslinkingsoilorganiccarbonphysicalfractionsmicrobialdynamicsandsoilproperties AT clairechenu vulnerabilityofsoilorganiccarboninartificiallyconstructedurbangreenspaceslinkingsoilorganiccarbonphysicalfractionsmicrobialdynamicsandsoilproperties AT gayoungyoo vulnerabilityofsoilorganiccarboninartificiallyconstructedurbangreenspaceslinkingsoilorganiccarbonphysicalfractionsmicrobialdynamicsandsoilproperties |