Low productivity substrate leads to functional diversification of green roof plant assemblage

Abstract

Green roofs are roof free spaces where living organisms can find an appropriate habitat to colonise. The establishment of plant species with different functionality can enhance biodiversity and provide ecosystem services. However, drought and nutrient availability can affect the plant development. The extensive green roof was set up in Pisa (Italy) in 2014, 12 modules of 10 cm depth were filled with three substrates composed of compost from municipal mixed waste, pelletised paper sludge, and commercial tephra product (Vulcaflor), as follows: Vulcaflor + compost, Vulcaflor + pellet + compost, and Vulcaflor + pellet, characterised by decreasing level of nitrogen content. The species planted in 2014 were chosen from the herbaceous spontaneous vegetation of urban and rural swards not often mowed, plus two sedum species. After the establishment phase, the green roof community was progressively dominated by Sedum species and other species were seeded in 2016. In 2018–19 the plant functional types and the community structure were monitored. Besides seasonal fluctuations, nitrogen shaped the composition of the community, and Sedum species showed high cover values in nitrogen-richer substrates. Annual forbs colonised the plots with a lower nitrogen content. In summer, the number of species drastically fell, and Sedum album was dominant in the three substrates. Seedling recruitment regenerated the community in the cooler season, increasing the diversity in the poor substrate. The scarcity of nitrogen led to the development of stress-tolerator annuals increasing the biodiversity in the rainy-cool season. Annual species constitute a transient seed bank which enables the system to regenerate when rain follows periods of heat and drought.