Anthropogenic Soils of Urban Parks: A Review

Urban parks provide a range of ecosystem services and support a healthy urban environment. Soils are directly involved in biogeochemical cycles and maintenance of biodiversity in parks. The properties of park soils and the modes of their functioning are determined by the interaction of zonal and anthropogenic factors, such as the history of the park, the duration of its existence, ways of soil transformation or technology of soil construction, and the composition of plantations. The soil cover of urban parks is heterogeneous and combines natural and anthropogenic components. Urbostratozems (Urbiс Technosols) are common soils of urban parks. The presence of filling material and technogenic inclusions (in particular, construction waste) in these soils leads to the soil alkalization and to heterogeneity of physical and chemical properties in the soil profile. The complexity of the soil cover patterns and the heterogeneity of soil properties in urban parks contribute to an increased diversity of soil microbial communities. Numerous studies demonstrate considerable contamination of the soils of urban parks in Moscow, New York, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Madrid, Dublin, and other cities of the world with heavy metals (primarily, Cu, Pb, and Zn) with an excess of their natural background concentrations and national hygienic standards. The content of heavy metals in soils depends on the duration and intensity of anthropogenic impact and varies greatly within each park. Despite a large number of studies on soil pollution, public health risk assessment methods are still under development. The relationships between park soils, vegetation, and soil biota also require further study. The combined study of soils and biological communities in urban parks is a promising area of research that should contribute to the development of measures to maintain the sustainability of urban ecosystems.