Soil microbial diversity and belowground facilitation among edible green roof plants

Green roofs are an important part of urban green spaces, allowing cities to mitigate environmental stressors and increase ecosystem services. Soil microbes may facilitate the resilience and tolerance of plants to stressors and maximize access to soil nutrients, which is vital for food production in these systems. Despite the important role soil microbial communities play in plant growth and survival in natural and agricultural habitats, little is known about microbial communities in green roofs. Here I examine soil microbial diversity and root functional traits as indicators of facilitation on three garden vegetable plants grown with Sedum on extensive green roofs.