Widespread loss of intermediate soil horizons in urban landscapes

Abstract

) soil development timelines, i.e., urbanized soils are young and have had short time periods for soil horizon development since urbanization (decades to centuries) relative to soil formation before urbanization (centuries to millennia). Urban soils also deviated from the standard A-B-C horizon ordering at a much greater frequency than preurban soils. Overall, our finding of common shifts in urban soil profiles across soil orders and cities suggests that urban soils may function differently from their preurban antecedents. This work introduces a basis for improving our understanding of soil modifications by urbanization and its potential effects on ecosystem functioning and thereby has implications for ecosystem services derived from urban landscapes.