Habitat structure influences below ground biocontrol services: A comparison between urban gardens and vacant lots

Urban agriculture offers a framework for local self-reliance by provisioning food security, employment opportunities, and other community benefits. However, urban agriculture must rely on the supporting and regulating services of the soil food web. Hence, we quantified belowground biocontrol activity in urban gardens and vacant lots in two post-industrial cities using an in situ insect baiting technique. Due to the differences in habitat structure, we hypothesized that belowground biocontrol services will differ between gardens and vacant lots and the influence of habitat structure would differ with the type of biocontrol organism. Results revealed that biocontrol activity, as assessed by % mortality of baited insects, varied between 51% and 98% with higher activity often recorded in vacant lots than gardens. Major contributions to bait insect mortality were by ants, followed by microbial pathogens and entomopathogenic nematodes, respectively. Ants showed higher (p < 0.0001) % mortality in vacant lots (60% ± 33.4%) than in urban gardens (33.3% ± 22.2%) whereas microbial pathogens exhibited higher (p < 0.0001) mortality in gardens (27.8% ± 15%) than vacant lots (8.3% ± 16.7%). Ants caused higher (p < 0.0001) mortality when larger-mesh size cages were used compared with the smaller-mesh size cages, but mortality by microbial pathogens did not differ with cage type. The high biocontrol activity indicates the resilience of the soil food web in urban ecosystems and the differential effects of habitat structure on biocontrol activity can help guide landscape planning and vegetation management to enhance urban environments and boost local self-reliance.

► Urban agriculture provides local self-reliance in post-industrial cities.
► Harnessing natural services of the soil food web is critical in urban agriculture.
► Soil food web can provide substantial biocontrol service in urban ecosystems.
► Ants provided higher natural biocontrol in urban vacant lots than gardens.
► Microbial pathogens provided higher biocontrol in gardens than vacant lots.