A Tremendous Green Roof or Biodiversity Museum? First Outcomes from Soil Survey in Zaryadye Park

Soils play a crucial role in functionality, sustainability and biodiversity of urban green infrastructures. Constructed Technosols not only contribute to biodiversity by creating conditions for vegetation growth, but also are niches for microbial communities. This effect is especially important in botanical gardens and urban parks, where Technosols aim to reconstruct the soil conditions typical for the plants from different biomes. In this research, Technosols properties were studied in Zaryadye Park—a unique green area in the centre of Moscow city, where the diversity of bioclimatic zones ranging from tundra to subtropics was reproduced. Soil survey was carried out in summer 2022. In total, 36 locations from 9 aggregated biomes were visited: tundra (T), coniferous forest (CF), mixed forest (MF), deciduous forest (DF), steppe (S), floodplain (F), meadow (M), subtropical forest (SF) and urban greening (UG). At each location, both disturbed and non-disturbed sires were examined. Soil organic matter (SOM) in Technosols was significantly different between the biomes, whereas soil pH, P and K contents were similar. Physical disturbance from recreational load resulted in topsoil over-compaction with the highest bulk density above 1.5 g cm−3. Anthropogenic factors (e.g. urban heat island, aerial dust deposition and implementation of mineral fertilizers) resulted in mineralization of organic matters, shift in soil pH and phosphorous inputs decreased initial variability of soil properties, decreased their functionality and microbial diversity. Site-specific precise soil management followed by regular soil monitoring is needed to preserve biodiversity of the Zaryadye Park. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.