Biocrusts: Overlooked hotspots of managed soils in mesic environments

Gall, Corinna; Ohan, Juliette; Glaser, Karin; Karsten, Ulf; Schloter, Michael; Scholten, Thomas; Schulz, Stefanie; Seitz, Steffen; Kurth, Julia Katharina

doi:10.1002/jpln.202200252

Cited by 9 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…In this issue, Gall et al. (2022) present a viewpoint on the importance of biocrusts as hotspots in managed soils of mesic biomes such as the mid‐latitudes.…”

Section: Editorialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil science challenges—An interdisciplinary overview of current and future topics

Pohl

Maurischat

Schiedung

et al. 2022

J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci.

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This editorial was written by early career scientists in soil science and gives an overview of the articles published in the special issue “Soil Science Challenges—An Interdisciplinary Overview of Current and Future Topics” on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science. A broad range of articles addressing soil carbon dynamics from the microscale to landscape scale, multi‐dimensional modeling, improved land management practices, nutrient cycles, soil hydrology, plastic in soils, and interdisciplinarity of soil science is covered in this issue.

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“…In this issue, Gall et al. (2022) present a viewpoint on the importance of biocrusts as hotspots in managed soils of mesic biomes such as the mid‐latitudes.…”

Section: Editorialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil science challenges—An interdisciplinary overview of current and future topics

Pohl

Maurischat

Schiedung

et al. 2022

J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Previous reviews considered, for example, mechanisms of PGPR [27], PGPRs as biofertilizers [9], PG-PRs as inducers of salinity stress resistance in plants [28], or as environmental remediation agents [29]. Additionally, some authors reviewed biocrusts in the mesic environment [30] or as ecological restorative agents [31]. This study deals with major rhizospheric microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, nematodes), their inter-and intra-interactions with root exudates, macronutrients present in soil, and in the formation of biocrusts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil–Plant–Microbe Interactions Determine Soil Biological Fertility by Altering Rhizospheric Nutrient Cycling and Biocrust Formation

Bhattacharyya

Furtak

2022

Sustainability

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Understanding soil–plant–microbe inter- and intra- interactions are essential for ensuring proper soil health, quality, and soil-mediated ecosystem services (e.g., nutrient cycling) required for human–plant–animal life. Intensive and unsustainable farming practices can decrease soil microbial biodiversity, fertility, and quality leading to soil degradation, impaired nutrient cycling, and the incapability of soil to support plant growth. Under such a context, soil biological fertility can appear as a regenerative component that has the potential to harmonize and improve soil’s physical, chemical, and biological parameters. This study defines and discusses the microbiome in the rhizosphere, microbial nutrient cycling, and biological soil crusts as the major components of soil biological fertility, and explores the answers to the following questions: (i) how does the rhizosphere promote plant growth, development, and nutrient cycling through soil microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, fungi)? (ii) How can soil microorganisms regulate macronutrient cycling and facilitate biocrust formation? This review reveals that soil biological fertility is crucial for increasing crop resilience and productivity as well as sustainability in agriculture. Additionally, the reintroduction of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, a quantitative estimation of the root exudate’s composition, identifying the spatiotemporal dynamics of potassium solubilizing bacteria and establishing biological soil crusts in agricultural lands remain the major tasks for improving soil biological fertility and the transition towards regenerative agriculture.

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Water’s path from moss to soil Vol. 2: how soil-moss combinations affect soil water fluxes and soil loss in a temperate forest

Gall,

Nebel,

Scholten

et al. 2024

Biologia

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Mosses are key components of many ecosystems and particularly related to water cycling. In principle, the importance of mosses for water-related processes is known; however, their influence is rarely quantified in scientific studies. To fill this research gap, this study concentrates on the influence of mosses of different species on surface runoff, the amount of percolated water, soil loss, and the temporal dynamics of soil water content. For this purpose, an experimental approach consisting of an ex situ rainfall simulation (45 mm h− 1 for 30 min) with infiltration boxes equipped with biocrust wetness probes was applied. On average, mosses significantly reduced surface runoff by 91% and soil loss by almost 100%, while the amount of percolated water was increased by 85% compared with bare soils. These processes were superimposed by desiccation cracks, and partly water repellency, with the result that the respective influences could not be quantified individually. However, by simultaneously measuring the water content in the substrates during rainfall simulations, we were able to achieve a better understanding of the water flows in the substrates. For instance, water content at 3 cm substrate depth was higher under mosses than in bare soils, implying that mosses facilitated infiltration. In this study, we were able to demonstrate that mosses play an important role in soil hydrology and in protecting the soil from erosion, and it is imperative that further experiments will be conducted to elucidate the apparently underestimated effects of mosses and their specific traits on soil water fluxes and sediment transport.

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Biocrusts: Overlooked hotspots of managed soils in mesic environments

Cited by 9 publications

References 77 publications

Soil science challenges—An interdisciplinary overview of current and future topics

Soil science challenges—An interdisciplinary overview of current and future topics

Soil–Plant–Microbe Interactions Determine Soil Biological Fertility by Altering Rhizospheric Nutrient Cycling and Biocrust Formation

Water’s path from moss to soil Vol. 2: how soil-moss combinations affect soil water fluxes and soil loss in a temperate forest

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