Earthworms dominate the soil biota, and different structural and functional features of their biology and ecology have been studied and exploited to evaluate their contributions as ecosystem services. Due to their feeding ecology, burrowing an...

The management of plant wastes represents an issue to be solved as efficiently as possible. The main objectives of this study were to show that wastes like decomposed fruits of Solanum lycopersicum L. (tomato) can be managed by introducing them to the diet of the earthworm Eisenia fetida (Savigny 1826) (red wiggler worm), and to determine the relationship between this earthworm’s weight and prolificacy and several soil properties. The results of this three-month laboratory experiment revealed that the decomposed tomato fruits represent an adequate food for Eisenia fetida: no mortality was recorded; the soil containing earthworms fed with this food recorded statistically significant increases of pH (from 7.89 to 7.96, p<0.05), total nitrogen (from 0.21% to 0.24%, p<0.01, p<0.05), and available potassium (from 188.33 to 291 mg · kg^-1, p<0.01, p<0.05) as compared to the soil containing earthworms not fed with tomatoes. A strong positive correlation between the weight of earthworms fed with tomatoes and the concentration of the available phosphorus of soil was found (Spearman and Kendall Correlations: p<0.01), along with a strong negative correlation between the weight of earthworms fed with tomatoe fruits and the concentration of the available potassium of soil (Spearman Correlation: p<0.01). A positive correlation was observed between the prolificacy of earthworms fed with fruits of tomatoes and the pH of the adjacent soil (Pearson Correlation: p = 0.052). In conclusion, Eisenia fetida tolerates very well the decomposed fruits of tomatoes as food, and its survival, weight, and prolificacy depend on it and on the analyzed soil parameters.

The dendroflora of an urban arboretum (The Botanic Park of Timișoara, Romania), consisting of 193 species, was ecologically characterized as bioforms, phytogeographical elements, and preferences for moisture, temperature, and soil pH. The aim of the research was to determine whether the native ecological requirements of the woody species, along with certain biological and evolutionary traits of them, such as plant life-form and plant family, could serve as tools for explaining and understanding the strategies employed by the urban woody phytocoenoses to acclimate and adapt to an established environment, such as an urban arboretum. The inventoried species are grouped in 111 genera and 45 families. The native and non-native dendroflora share 16 common families. The most representative family both in the native and non-native dendroflora is Rosaceae. The monotypic families are largely present (22.22% in the native dendroflora, and 42.22% in the non-native dendroflora). The plant life-form spectrum is dominated by megaphanerophytes (49%), followed by mesophanerophytes (41%). The chorological spectrum of the native species comprises 16 chorological types and is dominated by Eurasians (32%) and Europeans (30%). The species characteristics of the Pontic-Carpathian space, to which Romania belongs, are rare in the analyzed urban botanical park (4%). The mesophyte, mesothermal and slightly acido-neutrophilous species dominate both the native and non-native dendroflora. In the acclimation process of the non-native dendroflora, 37% of species exceeded their native requirements for moisture, 41% for temperature, and 50% for soil pH. The species requirements for temperature are associated to those for moisture and soil pH. The results show the potential of the analysed woody species to exceed their native requirements within the acclimation and adaption process, and in this process, for the studied temperate site, the plant life-form is important, and also the plant family. The species of the analyzed urban arboretum, both native and non-native, are taxonomically and biogeographically diverse, with specific habitat requirements, suggesting their great ability in acclimating, adapting and resisting.

This paper aimed to establish the species diversity of earthworms (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) and the chemical composition of earthworm surface castings within an urban park from west side of Romania (Timişoara City): Plevnei Park (45°44’58’’N, 21°13’38’’E). Eight lumbricid earthworm species have been identified: Lumbricus terrestris, Aporrectodea rosea, Aporrectodea longa, Aporrectodea caliginosa, Allolobophora chlorotica, Dendrobaena veneta, Dendrobaena octaedra, Dendrodrilus rubidus. Based on species incidence, several ecological indicators have been calculated: the constancy of earthworm species in the sampling areas, the Sørensen similarity of sampling points as species composition, and the Jaccard similarity (coenotic affinity) of the earthworm species within the sampled points. The surface castings have been analyzed for the following physical-chemical parameters: pH, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (N), plant available phosphorus (P), plant available potassium (K), and calcium water soluble (Ca). Because it is not yet clearly elucidated the casting behavior (surface or subsurface) of earthworms, and their feeding behavior, habitat behavior and casting behavior are not always clearly separated traits, and because until now it is insufficiently known how the environmental conditions affect the surface or subsurface casts production in earthworms, or how these conditions determine more than a single casting behavior for one species, there had been difficult to conclude which of the found species is responsible for the surface casting within the studied urban park. To find possible correlations existing between the physical-chemical parameters of the earthworm castings, Pearson, Spearman, and Kendall correlations (p<0.05) were calculated. The study revealed significant positive correlations between these chemical parameters of earthworm castings: pH-K, pH-TOC, and TOC-Ca.

This study was conducted in an urban park in a temperate-continental city of Europe (Timișoara, Romania) and aimed to investigate the contribution of urban vegetation in maintaining air quality and mitigating the heat in the analyzed city. The following air parameters were monitored: fine particulate matter PM_2.5, coarse particulate matter PM₁₀, AQI (Air Quality Index) (resulted from PM_2.5 and PM₁₀), particle number, air temperature, relative air humidity, TVOC (total volatile organic compounds), and HCHO (formaldehyde). The results of this study show that urban vegetation remains a reliable factor in reducing PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ in city air and in keeping the AQI within the limits corresponding to good air quality, but also that relative air humidity counteracts the contribution of vegetation in achieving this goal. Inside the park, the HCHO concentration increased by up to 4–5 times compared to the outside, and this increase was not caused by vehicle traffic but rather by the photochemical reactions generating HCHO. Regarding the cooling effect on air temperature, the studied green space did not exhibit this effect, as the air temperature inside it increased by up to 1–6 °C compared to the outside. Our results contrast with the general perception that urban parks and green spaces are cooler islands within the cities and draw attention to the fact that having a green space in a city does not necessarily mean achieving environmental goals, such as reducing the heat risk of cities. Based on the results, we consider that the main limitations in achieving these objectives were the park’s small size (88 hectares) and its morphology and architecture resulting from the integration of the species that compose it. It follows from these data that it is not enough for an urban green space to be established, but its design must be combined with urban morphology strategies if the heat mitigation effect is to be achieved and the cooling benefits are to be maximized in cities.

The dendroflora of an urban arboretum, consisting of 193 species, was ecologically characterized as bioforms, phytogeographical elements, and preferences for moisture, temperature, and soil reaction. The inventoried species are grouped in 111 genera and 45 families. The native and non-native dendroflora share 16 common families. The most representative family both in the native and non-native dendroflora is Rosaceae. The monotypic families are largely present (22.22% in the native dendroflora, and respectively 42.22% in the non-native dendroflora). The plant life-form spectrum is dominated by megaphanerophytes (49%), followed by mesophanerophytes (41%). The chorological spectrum of the native species comprises 16 chorological types and is dominated by Eurasians (32%) and Europeans (30%). The species characteristics of the Pontic-Carpathian space, to which Romania belongs, are rare in the analyzed urban park (4%). The mesophyte, mesothermal and slightly acido-neutrophilous species dominate both the native and non-native dendroflora. In the adaption process of the non-native dendroflora, 37% of species exceeded their native requirements for moisture, 41% for temperature, and 50% for soil reaction. The species requirements for temperature are associated to those for moisture and soil reaction. The results show the potential of the analysed woody species to exceed their native requirements within the acclimation and adaption process, and in this process, for the studied temperate site, the plant life-form is important, and also the plant family. The species of the analyzed urban arboretum, both native and non-native, are taxonomically and biogeographically diverse, with specific habitat requirements, suggesting their great ability in acclimating, adapting and resisting.