Supporting urban greenspace with microbial symbiosis

Cities are stressful environments for plants, plagued by heat, pollution, and biodiversity loss. As a result, plant communities tend to suffer in green roofs, parks, and living walls. Finding solutions to help plants grow in stressful environments is a goal of the sustainable city. One solution is to better incorporate plant–microbe symbiosis in green architecture. Symbiotic fungi and bacteria can provide nutrients, water, and help plants to cope with urban stress. The reconceptualization of green infrastructure from a microbial-focused perspective has the potential to improve plant health, growth, and diversity in cities.

Incorporating mutualistic symbioses into green infrastructure and landscape architecture is a sustainable way to enhance urban greenspace. In this paper, the authors discuss how symbiotic fungi and bacteria can help mitigate stressors for plants in cities.