Enhancing Urban Garden Capacity by Linking Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function

Urban agriculture broadly describes food and plant cultivation in metropolitan areas. While biodiversity is thought to support ecosystem health and resilience, the relationship between above-ground and below-ground diversity has been understudied in urban green spaces. This study examines plant, animal, bacterial, and fungal diversity across three distinct urban habitats: a turf lawn, a forb garden, and a farming space. Using bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS2 sequencing, soil nutrient analyses, and surveys of vegetation and wildlife, we connect diverse philosophies in urban agriculture to their role in advancing community diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality. We found that different urban gardens support a range of biodiversity. While bacterial communities demonstrate relatively even abundances across garden types, site-specific management styles significantly influence the composition of dominant fungal taxa, specifically: Leotiomycetes in the farming space, Agaricomycetes in the forb garden, and Tremellomycetes in the turf lawn. This indicates that distinct urban agricultural practices strongly shape fungal communities. Furthermore, gardens with greater plant diversity also supported higher wildlife and fungal richness. Promoting complex interactions may increase resource availability for various species, ultimately enhancing ecosystem multifunctionality. This study provides crucial information for the responsible management of urban gardens by highlighting their diverse relationships with wildlife, vegetation, and microorganisms. Our findings underscore the potential of urban gardens to enhance biodiversity.