Abstract

Human land-use alters soil properties and biodiversity differently depending on the intensity and type of use, often resulting in persistent temporal effects known as legacy effects. Cities are expected to be rich in legacy effects due to their development histories and complex socio-ecological landscapes. However, few urban ecological studies consider the role of history in shaping contemporary patterns. Therefore, we asked: do soil properties and biodiversity of our present-day urban greenspaces differ due to varied historical land-use? We surveyed 25 urban parks across the island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada with three former land-uses: forested (low intensity), agricultural (medium intensity), and industrial (high intensity). We measured soil bulk density, heavy metal concentrations, and carbon and nitrogen stocks, as well as earthworm abundance, biomass, species richness, and community composition. Most studied soil properties did not differ across historical land-uses. All properties except for heavy metal concentrations significantly increased with age, implying a legacy effect of recovery from disturbance and management post park establishment. Earthworm distribution was highest in forested sites whereas earthworm biodiversity was lower in previously agricultural sites. These findings suggest that aspects of soils in our urban greenspaces are minimally susceptible to legacy effects of historical human land-use. This demonstrates a certain effectiveness in developing municipal parks on a variety of past land-uses. This could allow for a focusing on current management choices and decisions which may have a greater influence on park ecosystem functioning.