Abstract
Urban green spaces (UGSs) are mostly represented by lawns and wooded areas. These UGSs can store carbon in soil and above-ground biomass, potentially modulated by management intensity and vegetation cover. Trees in lawns can create a local microclimate modifying soil biogeochemical cycles affecting in turn greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of trees on microclimate (temperature and moisture) and soil properties influencing GHG fluxes in contrasted UGS types. We monthly monitored (from March to November 2021) and compared soil CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes simultaneously with surface temperature and moisture in treed lawns, open lawns and urban woodlands. Lawns included 4 different management intensities including mowing, irrigation and fertilization practices. Temperature was the best predictor of soil respiration in all UGS types studied and was the highest in open lawns. We showed that moisture reflected by the water filled pore space (WFPS) significantly added on variation explanation. The shading of trees decreased soil respiration by 34% in treed lawns while soil properties were similar, indicating a straightforward effect of lowering temperature. On the contrary, in woodland soils the lower rates of soil respiration were attributed to both soil properties and temperature decreasing. Urban woodlands were a sink for CH4 throughout the year (− 0.19 mg m¯² h¯¹). Methane consumption in lawns was small and even a CH4 source in irrigated parks when WFPS overpassed 75%. N2O fluxes were small (0.014 mg m¯² h¯¹) probably reflecting the transition already made from mineral to controlled-release fertilization limiting N availability.
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Acknowledgements
This work was carried out within the framework of the SAGES project (agreement 2203D0002), co-financed by ADEME and the Pays de la Loire Region. The authors thank the Department of Parks, Gardens and Landscape of Angers and its technicians (Marc Houdon, Clément Thomas, Jérôme Léger and Thierry Nicolas) for their assistance enabling us to select the study sites and to understand the management practices implemented in the UGSs of Angers. The authors also acknowledge Sophie Herpin who generously provided us air temperatures recorded at the weather station of Beaucouzé as well as information on the urbanization level in Angers city. In a context of an internship, Mélanie Exiga’s help was essential to quantify the C storage of our UGS types. The authors are grateful for funding from the French National Union of Landscape Companies (UNEP).
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This work was supported by the Environmental and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), the Pays de la Loire region. TK received research support from the French National Union of Landscape Companies (UNEP).
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Preparation of the material was performed by T.K., R.G. and V.G. Data collection was performed by T.K. and R.G. Data analysis was performed by T.K. and R.G. The first draft of the manuscript was written by T.K. and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Künnemann, T., Cannavo, P., Guérin, V. et al. Soil CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes in open lawns, treed lawns and urban woodlands in Angers, France. Urban Ecosyst 26, 1659–1672 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-023-01407-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-023-01407-y