PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Turnquist, Keith N. AU - Werner, Les P. AU - Sloss, Brian L. TI - An Examination of Soil Microbial Communities and Litter Decomposition in Five Urban Land Uses in Metropolitan Milwaukee, WI, U.S. AID - 10.48044/jauf.2016.005 DP - 2016 Jan 01 TA - Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF) PG - 58--69 VI - 42 IP - 1 4099 - http://auf.isa-arbor.com/content/42/1/58.short 4100 - http://auf.isa-arbor.com/content/42/1/58.full AB - The process of urbanization may alter the ability of microorganisms to supply nutrients to plants. However, both the composition and structure of soil biological communities, and the extent of variation within these communities, is not clear in urban areas. Therefore, baseline information regarding the impact of urban land management practices on soil microbial communities is essential to improving individuals’ ability to manage urban soils and the plants they support. This study examined soil microbial communities over five urban land uses with different degrees of urbanization in metropolitan Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. The objectives were to 1) determine if differences exist in bacterial and fungal community composition, biological activity, and the soil physical and chemical environment across five urban land uses, and 2) determine if differences in the bacterial and fungal compositions compare to differences in the soil’s physical and chemical characteristics. Bulk density, soil organic matter, pH, magnesium, sodium, total nitrogen, and C:N ratio displayed significant differences between streets and forests. Microbial biomass did not differ between land uses, and the differences in bacterial and fungal community composition reflect only a small portion of the total microbial pool. The decomposition of transposed leaf litter showed significant decline in C:N ratio over time, but no statistical differences between land use were observed. The results display a highly redundant microbial assemblage, and suggest that in locations with adequate levels of soil carbon and where parent material and soil forming processes are homogeneous, urbanization and landscape management have less impact on soil microbiology than expected.