Urban land use influences microbial functional traits along a management intensity gradient
5 affiliations
- 1BRGM - French Geological Survey , ,
- 2Institut National des Sciences Appliquées Centre Val de Loire, Université de Tours, UMR 7324 Cités, Territoires, Environnement et Sociétés , ,
- 3Université Lyon 1, CNRS, INRAE, Laboratoire d'Ecologie Microbienne (LEM), UMR 5557 , ,
- 4Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, INRAE, Centre Alpin de Recherche sur les Réseaux Trophiques et les Écosystèmes Limniques , ,
- 5Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine , ,
Abstract
Introduction: Urbanization alters soil conditions and may strongly affect microbial communities, yet the functional consequences of these changes remain poorly understood. We investigated how urban land use and management intensity shape microbial diversity, functional traits, and interaction patterns in urban soils. Methods: We sampled 135 soils across eight land-use types in Blois (France), each assigned a management intensity level from 1 (low) to 4 (high). Bacterial and fungal communities were characterized using Illumina sequencing, fungal guilds were identified using FungalTraits, bacterial taxa were classified by life strategies, enzymatic activities were measured, and co-occurrence networks were constructed. Results: Land-use type and management intensity strongly influenced microbial composition, diversity, and functioning. Highly managed sites (Gardens, Sports fields) showed lower fungal 18S rRNA gene abundance, higher bacterial 16S rRNA gene copy numbers, reduced diversity, and lower nitrogen-related enzyme activities compared to less managed sites (Unused areas). These sites also exhibited more oligotroph-dominated and interconnected communities. Cooccurrence networks were less connected than those reported in semi-natural ecosystems, indicating more fragmented microbial associations in urban soils. Discussion: Our findings reveal that management intensity acts as a strong ecological filter shaping microbial functional traits and interaction patterns in urban soils. The reduced connectivity and functional shifts observed in intensively managed sites highlight the need to integrate microbial indicators into urban green-space planning and management.
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BibTeX
@article{khalfallah2026urban,
title = {{Urban land use influences microbial functional traits along a management intensity gradient}},
author = {Fadwa Khalfallah and Nicolas Legay and Sebastien Bonthoux and Amélie A. M. Cantarel and Jean-Christophe Clement and Arnaud Foulquier and Catherine Joulian and Xavier Le Roux and Agnès Richaume and Marie-Paule Norini and Jennifer Harris},
journal = {Frontiers in microbiomes},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3389/frmbi.2026.1946255},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13662681},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Urban land use influences microbial functional traits along a management intensity gradient
AU - Fadwa Khalfallah
AU - Nicolas Legay
AU - Sebastien Bonthoux
AU - Amélie A. M. Cantarel
AU - Jean-Christophe Clement
AU - Arnaud Foulquier
AU - Catherine Joulian
AU - Xavier Le Roux
AU - Agnès Richaume
AU - Marie-Paule Norini
AU - Jennifer Harris
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Frontiers in microbiomes
DO - 10.3389/frmbi.2026.1946255
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13662681
AB - Introduction: Urbanization alters soil conditions and may strongly affect microbial communities, yet the functional consequences of these changes remain poorly understood. We investigated how urban land use and management intensity shape microbial diversity, functional traits, and interaction patterns in urban soils. Methods: We sampled 135 soils across eight land-use types in Blois (France), each assigned a management intensity level from 1 (low) to 4 (high). Bacterial and fungal communities were characterized using Illumina sequencing, fungal guilds were identified using FungalTraits, bacterial taxa were classified by life strategies, enzymatic activities were measured, and co-occurrence networks were constructed. Results: Land-use type and management intensity strongly influenced microbial composition, diversity, and functioning. Highly managed sites (Gardens, Sports fields) showed lower fungal 18S rRNA gene abundance, higher bacterial 16S rRNA gene copy numbers, reduced diversity, and lower nitrogen-related enzyme activities compared to less managed sites (Unused areas). These sites also exhibited more oligotroph-dominated and interconnected communities. Cooccurrence networks were less connected than those reported in semi-natural ecosystems, indicating more fragmented microbial associations in urban soils. Discussion: Our findings reveal that management intensity acts as a strong ecological filter shaping microbial functional traits and interaction patterns in urban soils. The reduced connectivity and functional shifts observed in intensively managed sites highlight the need to integrate microbial indicators into urban green-space planning and management.
SN - 2813-4338
ER -