Response of soil macrofauna to urban park reconstruction

Abstract

• Soil penetration resistance increases as a result of park reconstruction.• Soil compaction explains one-third of the variability in soil macrofauna.• The abundance of the earthworm Aporrectodea rosea increases after reconstruction.• The abundance of the earthworm A. calliginosa decreases after reconstruction.This study is based on a park in an industrial city in Ukraine. In 2019, a 2.8 ha area of the park was reconstructed. The park’s reconstruction aimed to create a comfortable environment for visitors and to improve the efficiency of ecosystem services, and thereby enhance the quality of life of citizens. The reconstruction of the park was found to cause changes in the physical properties of soils and the structure of the soil macrofauna community. The increases of soil compaction in the layers at depth 5–20 cm and the soil electrical conductivity were a consequence of technological operations during reconstruction. The park reconstruction activities can also explain 29% of the variation in the soil macrofauna community. Extracting the variation induced by the park reconstruction from the community variation induced by other causes was a major challenge. The specific changes in the community of soil macrofauna following the reconstruction of the park were revealed. The abundance of soil animal species A. rosea, A. trapezoides, H. affinis, H. rufipes, B. affinis was found to increase after the reconstruction. The earthworm A. trapezoides decreased in abundance due to the park reconstruction.