KEKOMO

We investigate the capacity of commercially available growing media to sustain soil biological diversity, soil fertility, plant growth and nectar production, as well as pollinator abundance and activity.

In built environments, standardized commercial substrates are used together with selected planted species. Consequently, the quality of the growing media plays a critical role in maintaining urban ecosystem services. In particular, immediately after establishment, vegetation and associated biota exist under artificial and resource-poor conditions and face ecological challenges that are uncommon in established systems. These challenges include substrate-driven drought stress, an unstable nutrient balance, and low biological diversity or a skewed community structure. Reciprocal interactions between soil and aboveground ecosystems are tightly coupled and regulate vegetation productivity.

Soil processes are also important in built urban environments and constitute part of the multifunctional ecosystem services supported by soils. We aim to determine how the quality of growing media influences ecological interactions and their functional consequences. These processes have been shown to have substantial ecological and social value in built urban environments.

Target group

Green sector actors

Operating area

Finland