Biological Soil Crusts of North America

Rosentreter, Roger; Belnap, Jayne

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-56475-8_2

Cited by 86 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In the present study, we found the green algae Zygogonium spec., a small proportion of Ulothrix spec., but no cyanobacteria. For an optimal growth of cyanobacteria, the soil pH should be slightly alkaline or neutral (Belnap and Lange, 2003;Rosentreter and Belnap, 2003), while on ASD the pH ranged from 5.1 to 5.6 and on RFP from 4.9 to 5.7 (Gypser et al, 2015). Under acidic soil conditions and pH values below 5 or 4 these organisms were normally absent (Brock, 1973) and more eukaryotic green algae appear (Lukešová, 2001).…”

Section: Water Repellency and Infiltrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infiltration and water retention of biological soil crusts on reclaimed soils of former open-cast lignite mining sites in Brandenburg, north-east Germany

Gypser

Veste

Fischer

et al. 2016

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Investigations were done on two former open-cast lignite mining sites under reclamation, an artificial sand dune in Welzow Süd, and a forest plantation in Schlabendorf Süd (Brandenburg, Germany). The aim was to associate the topsoil hydrological characteristics of green algae dominated as well as moss and soil lichen dominated biological soil crusts during crustal succession with their water retention and the repellency index on sandy soils under temperate climate and different reliefs.The investigation of the repellency index showed on the one hand an increase due to the cross-linking of sand particles by green algae which resulted in clogging of pores. On the other hand, the occurrence of moss plants led to a decrease of the repellency index due to absorption caused by bryophytes. The determination of the water retention curves showed an increase of the water holding capacity, especially in conjunction with the growth of green algae layer. The pore-related van Genuchten parameter indicate a clay-like behaviour of the developed soil crusts. Because of the inhomogeneous distribution of lichens and mosses as well as the varying thickness of green algae layers, the water retention differed between the study sites and between samples of similar developmental stages. However, similar tendencies of water retention and water repellency related to the soil crust formation were observed.Biological soil crusts should be considered after disturbances in the context of reclamation measures, because the initial development of green algae biocrusts lead to an increasing repellency index, while the occurrence of mosses and a gain in organic matter enhance the water holding capacity. Thus, the succession of biocrusts and their small-scale succession promote the development of soil and ecosystem.

show abstract

Section: Water Repellency and Infiltrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infiltration and water retention of biological soil crusts on reclaimed soils of former open-cast lignite mining sites in Brandenburg, north-east Germany

Gypser

Veste

Fischer

et al. 2016

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the sagebrush steppes of western North America, including the cool deserts of the Great Basin, biocrusts are significant components of plant interspaces, often covering up to 70% of the soil surface (Rosentreter and Belnap, 2003;Hilty et al, 2004). However, disturbance by domestic grazers and invasion of exotic annual plants over the past century have reduced biocrust cover and transformed relatively stable, diverse sagebrush steppe communities into more homogenous grasslands dominated by exotic annuals (Brooks et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, cover by litter is likely to alter the biocrust microenvironment, particularly in terms of light, temperature, and moisture (Belnap, 2003). These plausible changes in the biocrust microenvironment can ultimately lead to changes in biocrust composition and/or result in loss of biocrust organisms (Rosentreter and Belnap, 2003). For example, in the Colorado Plateau of North America, Belnap et al (2006) found that soil surface litter cover (mainly B. tectorum) was negatively correlated with total lichen and moss cover.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…R. Sant.. Both species are common components of biocrusts in sagebrush habitats of the northern portion of the Great Basin, where they are usually found in the interspaces between vascular plants (Rosentreter and Belnap, 2003). In addition, in areas invaded by B. tectorum, biocrusts can be found under various amounts of litter, where biocrusts are often visually undistinguishable from non-covered biocrusts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Bromus tectorum litter alters photosynthetic characteristics of biological soil crusts from a semiarid shrubland

Serpe

Roberts

Eldridge

et al. 2013

Soil Biology and Biochemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Invasion by the exotic annual grass Bromus tectorum has increased the cover and connectivity of fine litter in the sagebrush steppes of western North America. This litter tends to cover biological soil crusts, which could affect their metabolism and growth. To investigate this possible phenomenon, biological soil crusts dominated by either the moss Bryum argenteum or the lichen Diploschistes muscorum were covered with B. tectorum litter (litter treatment) or left uncovered (control treatment) and exposed to natural field conditions. After periods of five and ten months, we removed the litter and compared the photosynthetic performance of biological soil crusts from the two treatments. Litter induced photosynthetic changes in our samples. In both B. argenteum and D. muscorum, biological soil crusts that had been covered with litter for ten months had lower rates of gross photosynthesis and lower chlorophyll content than control samples. Similarly in both biological soil crust types, litter reduced the rate of dark respiration. For D. muscorum, the reduction in dark respiration fully compensated for the decrease in gross photosynthesis, resulting in similar values of net photosynthesis in the two treatments. In contrast, for B. argenteum, net photosynthesis was four-times greater in the control than the litter treatment. Also under litter cover, D. muscorum showed three common adaptations to shade conditions: a decrease in the light compensation point, in the light intensity needed to achieve 95% of maximal net photosynthesis, and in the chlorophyll a/b ratio. None of these changes was apparent in B. argenteum. Overall, our results indicate that photosynthetic responses to the presence of litter varied among species of the crust biota and that the litter can reduce the photosynthetic capacity of biological soil crusts. These results help to explain field observations of decreases in biological soil crust cover and changes in biological soil crust composition with increases in litter cover, and suggest that the landscape-wide invasion by B. tectorum may have substantial effects on biological soil crust performance and therefore their capacity to function in semiarid shrublands.Keywords: Biological soil crusts, Bromus tectorum, Bryum argenteum, Diploschistes muscorum, lichens, litter, mosses, photosynthesis, semiarid environments, sagebrush steppe Abbreviations: Biological soil crusts (biocrusts), ΔF/F m ', photosystem II operating efficiency, F v /F m , maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry; LCP, light compensation point, NPQ, non-photochemical quenching; PPFR 95% , light intensity necessary to achieve 95% of maximal net photosynthesis 2

show abstract

“…More recently, Mojave Desert lichen communities have been characterized at a number of sites, including: the Granite Mountains (California) in the southwestern portion of the Mojave Desert (Doell, et al, 1999;and Knudsen & Werth, 2008); two sites within the Mojave National Preserve, California (Knight, et al, 2002); and a floristic survey from a single site in northwestern, Arizona (Jackson, et al, 2005). Similarly, Rosentreter and Belnap (2001) briefly described some of the more common soil crust lichens reported for the Mojave Desert. Most recently, a master thesis characterizing the lichen flora of the Spring Mountains north of Las Vegas was completed (Proulx, 2011).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Checklist of the Lichens of the Beaver Dam Slope, Washington County, Utah, USA.

Shrestha¹

2012

North Amer. Fun.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:The lichen flora of the extreme northeastern corner of the Mojave Desert was investigated during the spring of 2009. Collections were made from five sites on the Beaver Dam Slope in Washington Co., Utah, including the privately owned Lytle Ranch Preserve. We have identified 41 lichen-forming fungal species in 23 genera, including 30 saxicolous, 7 terricolous, and 4 corticolous taxa; including, 16 species recorded from Utah for the first time and 10 new records for the Mojave Desert. This study provides a baseline for documenting the distribution of common and sensitive lichen communities along a transition zone between the Mojave Desert, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau.

show abstract

Biological Soil Crusts of North America

Cited by 86 publications

References 25 publications

Infiltration and water retention of biological soil crusts on reclaimed soils of former open-cast lignite mining sites in Brandenburg, north-east Germany

Infiltration and water retention of biological soil crusts on reclaimed soils of former open-cast lignite mining sites in Brandenburg, north-east Germany

Bromus tectorum litter alters photosynthetic characteristics of biological soil crusts from a semiarid shrubland

A Checklist of the Lichens of the Beaver Dam Slope, Washington County, Utah, USA.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About