Anthropogenic disturbances shape soil nematode communities in urban green spaces

• Trampling has stronger effects on soil nematodes than regular mowing. • OP nematodes have higher sensitivities to physical disturbances. • Higher plant coverage in urban green space favors soil nematodes. • Soil moisture is an essential abiotic driver for soil nematodes. • Rotational resting periods are crucial for nematode conservation. Increasing urbanization contributes to the fragmentation and pollution of natural habitats. However, urban green spaces not only play ornamental and recreational roles but also provide important ecological functions, such as soil biodiversity conservation. Nematodes are found in different trophic levels and play multiple roles in the soil micro-food web, making them critical to soil ecosystem functioning and the sustainable development of urban green spaces. In this study, individual density, richness, functional guilds, metabolic footprints, and distributions of soil nematode communities were investigated under the different disturbance levels of the urban green space habitats to explore the effects of mowing and trampling. The results showed a decreasing trend in the abundance and richness of soil nematode communities along the disturbance gradient of urban green space habitats. Specifically, all functional guilds of soil nematodes had the lowest abundance values in urban green space habitats at the highest disturbance levels. On the other hand, the results revealed a more severe decline in omnivores and predators (OP) with K-strategy than that of nematodes with r-strategy. The maturity index (MI), the structure index (SI), and the carbon metabolic footprint values of the soil nematode communities in the least disturbed habitats were higher, suggesting a more stable and complex soil micro-food web. Compared with regular mowing, trampling in recreational lawns had more serious impacts on the soil nematode communities. Soil water contents, soil bulk density, plant coverage, and available nutrients (e.g. ammonium nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium), which are highly susceptible to human trampling, were the main drivers of the soil nematode communities. Based on our results, rotational rest periods of the recreational lawn, plant litter retention, and timely recultivation of exposed soils are suggested to enhance soil biodiversity conservation and soil micro-food web health in urban green spaces.