Spatial Organization of the Micromollusc Community under Recreational Load

Nadiia Yorkina,Ava Umerova,Polina Telyuk,Natalia Tarusova,Yevheniia Cherniak

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3857528

Abstract

The recreational load is an important factor in transforming the living conditions of living organisms in the urban environment. This article examines the role of recreation as a driver of the changing habitat of soil micromolluscs in the park environment in an urban landscape. The hypothesis that recreational exposure changes the hierarchical organization of the spatial distribution of the micromollusc community was tested. An experimental polygon was located in Novooleksandrivskiy Park (Melitopol, Ukraine) and represented 7 transects with 18 test points in each. The set of soil properties explained 24.7% of the variation in the mollusc community. The distance from trees was able to explain 6.8% of mollusc community variation. The distance from recreational pathways was able to explain 12.2% of the variation in the mollusc community. The spatial eigenfunctions were able to explain 54.2% of mollusc community variation. The spatial patterns of variation in the structure of the assemblage of molluscs were found to be due to various causes. Thus, the broad-scale component was due to the distance from trees and the distance fro m the recreational pathways and was associated with the variability of soil penetration resistance, aggregate structure, electrical conductivity, soil moisture and density. The recreational load is the cause of this pattern formation. In turn, the medium-scale component reflected the influence of soil aggregate composition on the mollusс community and components independent of soil properties. The fine-scale component reflected the variability of the mollusc community, which was independent of soil properties.

Highlights

In the urban environment there is a significant transformation of various components of the landscape, which worsens the modes of existence of biotic components of ecosystems and human living conditions
The aim of this study is to investigate the role of recreation as a factor in transforming the living conditions of soil micromolluscs in a park environment in an urban landscape
The results of this study indicate a positive effect on micromolluscs of increasing the proportion of aggregates of 0.25–5 mm size

Summary

Introduction

In the urban environment there is a significant transformation of various components of the landscape, which worsens the modes of existence of biotic components of ecosystems and human living conditions. Functional efficiency of forest plantations in urban environment depends on sustainability and diversity of ecosystems formed within them. The growth of population and the expansion of built-up areas caused by urbanization can have a significant impact on the supply and distribution of critical ecosystem services. A correlation between urbanization and ecosystem services has been established. Soil invertebrates in urban environments are taxonomically and functionally diverse. This is contributed to by the specific features of the soil as a habitat. The communities of invertebrates of urban soils are sensitive to the variability of physical and chemical properties of urban soils and land-use practices (Bray et al, 2019)

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