scholarly journals Aerobiology and passive restoration of biological soil crusts

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven D. Warren ◽  
Larry L. St. Clair ◽  
Steven D. Leavitt
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Disturbance ◽  
Anthropogenic Disturbances ◽  
Biological Soil Crusts ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Ecological Benefit ◽  
Soil Crusts ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Passive Restoration ◽  
Disturbed Soils ◽  
Arid And Semiarid

Abstract. Biological soil crusts (BSCs) commonly occupy the surface of many arid and semiarid soils, and disturbed soils in more mesic environments. BSCs perform many essential ecological services. Substantial resources have been invested trying to restore BSCs that have been damaged by anthropogenic disturbances, largely to no avail. The nexus of science related to crust restoration and to aerobiology strongly suggests that crusts can become reestablished via naturally occurring processes. Propagules of BSC organisms are found naturally in the atmosphere, and are transported long distances. Whether restoration occurs naturally in this way, or by costly attempts to produce and disseminate artificial inoculants, success is ultimately moderated and governed by the timing and frequency of adequate precipitation relative to the arrival of viable propagules on suitable substrate at an appropriate time of the year. For greatest ecological benefit, efforts should focus primarily on minimizing the scope and scale of anthropogenic disturbance of BSCs in arid ecosystems.

scholarly journals Biological soil crusts inhibit seed germination in a temperate pine barren ecosystem

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica A. Gilbert ◽  
Jeffrey D. Corbin
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Biological Soil Crusts ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Lupinus Perennis ◽  
Life History Stages ◽  
Soil Crusts ◽  
Lespedeza Capitata ◽  
Total Seed ◽  
Herbaceous Perennial

Abstract Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are known to affect plants’ germination and seedling establishment in arid ecosystems, but their ecological role in more mesic climates is not so well-known. We tested the effects of moss-crusted versus uncrusted soils on seed germination dynamics in a temperate pine barren ecosystem. We conducted a 35-day laboratory assay of seed germination on moss-crusted soils versus uncrusted soils from the Albany (NY) Pine Bush Preserve. We tested total seed germination and the number of days to 50% of total germination (T50) of two herbaceous perennial forb species in each soil type. Three and five times more seeds germinated on uncrusted soil than on crusted soil for bush clover (Lespedeza capitata) and wild lupine (Lupinus perennis), respectively. Seeds of both species also germinated approximately 10 days earlier on uncrusted soil than on crusted soil. This study, and others in similar habitats, show that BSCs in mesic climates can influence germination and other early life-history stages of plants. We hope that further study of the interactions between BSCs and vascular plants in mesic climates will contribute to our understanding of the ecology of BSCs outside the arid and semiarid climates where they are more extensively studied.

scholarly journals Variations in the coverage of biological soil crusts along a gradient of aridity in the center-west of argentina

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.L Navas Romero ◽  
M.A. Herrera Moratta ◽  
B. Vento ◽  
R.A. Rodriguez ◽  
E.E. Martínez Carretero
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Biological Soil Crusts ◽  
The Other ◽  
Soil Crusts ◽  
Quadrat Method ◽  
Semiarid Areas ◽  
Arid And Semiarid Areas ◽  
Point Quadrat ◽  
Arid And Semiarid

AbstractThe biological soil crusts (biocrust) play a fundamental role in the arid and semiarid areas of South America. However, little attention has been paid to the distribution and coverage of them. In Argentina, studies about biocrust are still scarce. The goal of this contribution is to analyze the coverage of the biocrust and each of the functional component along a gradient of aridity in the center-west of Argentina. The gradient included three differentiated sites: semiarid, arid, and hyperarid sites. The coverage was recorded using the Point-quadrat method on 30 transects through a gradient consisting of three sites: semiarid, arid, and hyper-arid sites. The arid site was the system with the highest coverage of biocrust followed by the hyper-arid site. The semiarid site had the lowest values of coverage and showed significant differences among the three systems were found. Cyanobacteria’s dominate in the hyper-arid site. On the other hand, cyanobacteria and lichens were dominant in the arid site. The coverage of studied organisms showed variations in the semiarid site. These results support the idea that the coverage has a strong relationship with the features of the studied ecosystem and the environmental factors both at a mesoscale and a microscale in a determined community.

Biological soil crusts modulate nitrogen availability in semi-arid ecosystems: insights from a Mediterranean grassland

2010 ◽  
Vol 333 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 21-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea P. Castillo-Monroy ◽  
Fernando T. Maestre ◽  
Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo ◽  
Antonio Gallardo
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Availability ◽  
Biological Soil Crusts ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Soil Crusts ◽  
Semi Arid

Aerobiology and passive restoration of biological soil crusts

Aerobiologia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven D. Warren ◽  
Larry L. St. Clair ◽  
Steven D. Leavitt
Keyword(s):  
Biological Soil Crusts ◽  
Soil Crusts ◽  
Passive Restoration

scholarly journals Biological soil crusts inhibit seed germination in a temperate pine barren ecosystem

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica A. Gilbert ◽  
Jeffrey D. Corbin
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Biological Soil Crusts ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Lupinus Perennis ◽  
Life History Stages ◽  
Soil Crusts ◽  
Lespedeza Capitata ◽  
Total Seed ◽  
Herbaceous Perennial

Abstract Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are known to affect plants’ germination and seedling establishment in arid ecosystems, but their ecological role in more mesic climates is not so well-known. We tested the effects of moss-crusted versus uncrusted soils on seed germination dynamics in a temperate pine barren ecosystem. We conducted a 35-day laboratory assay of seed germination on moss-crusted soils versus uncrusted soils from the Albany (NY) Pine Bush Preserve. We tested total seed germination and the number of days to 50% of total germination (T50) of two herbaceous perennial forb species in each soil type. Three and five times more seeds germinated on uncrusted soil than on crusted soil for bush clover (Lespedeza capitata) and wild lupine (Lupinus perennis), respectively. Seeds of both species also germinated approximately 10 days earlier on uncrusted soil than on crusted soil. This study, and others in similar habitats, show that BSCs in mesic climates can influence germination and other early life-history stages of plants. We hope that further study of the interactions between BSCs and vascular plants in mesic climates will contribute to our understanding of the ecology of BSCs outside the arid and semiarid climates where they are more extensively studied.

scholarly journals Ecology and functional roles of biological soil crusts in semi-arid ecosystems of Spain

2011 ◽  
Vol 75 (12) ◽  
pp. 1282-1291 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.T. Maestre ◽  
M.A. Bowker ◽  
Y. Cantón ◽  
A.P. Castillo-Monroy ◽  
J. Cortina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Soil Crusts ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Soil Crusts ◽  
Semi Arid

scholarly journals Non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs mediate dinitrogen fixation in biological soil crusts during early crust formation.

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Pepe-Ranney ◽  
Chantal Koechli ◽  
Ruth Potrafka ◽  
Cheryl Andam ◽  
Erin Eggleston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Biological Soil Crusts ◽  
Stable Isotope Probing ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Anthropogenic Change ◽  
N Budget ◽  
Soil Crusts ◽  
Ssu Rrna Gene Sequence

Biological soil crusts (BSC) are key components of ecosystem productivity in arid lands and they cover a substantial fraction of the terrestrial surface. In particular, BSC N2-fixation contributes significantly to the nitrogen (N) budget of arid land ecosystems. In mature crusts, N2-fixation is largely attributed to heterocystous cyanobacteria, however, early successional crusts possess few N2-fixing cyanobacteria and this suggests that microorganisms other than cyanobacteria mediate N2-fixation during the critical early stages of BSC development. DNA stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) with15N2revealed thatClostridiaceaeandProteobacteriaare the most common microorganisms that assimilate15N2in early successional crusts. TheClostridiaceaeidentified are divergent from previously characterized isolates, though N2-fixation has previously been observed in this family. The Proteobacteria identified share >98.5% SSU rRNA gene sequence identity with isolates from genera known to possess diazotrophs (e.g.Pseudomonas,Klebsiella,Shigella, andIdeonella). The low abundance of these heterotrophic diazotrophs in BSC may explain why they have not been characterized previously. Diazotrophs play a critical role in BSC formation and characterization of these organisms represents a crucial step towards understanding how anthropogenic change will affect the formation and ecological function of BSC in arid ecosystems.

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