Key Factors Influencing Rapid Development of Potentially Dune-Stabilizing Moss-Dominated Crusts

Abstract

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are a widespread photosynthetic ground cover in arid and semiarid areas. They have many positive ecological functions, such as increasing soil stability, and reducing water and wind erosion. Using artificial technology to achieve the rapid development of BSCs is expected to become a low-cost and highly beneficial ecological restoration measure. In the present study, typical moss-dominated crusts in a region characterized by mobile dunes (Mu Us Sandland, China) were collected, and a 40-day cultivation experiment was performed to investigate key factors, including watering frequency, light intensity and a nutrient addition, which affect the rapid development of moss crusts and their optimal combination. The results demonstrated that watering frequency and illumination had a significant positive effect (P=0.049, three-factor ANOVA) and a highly significant, complicated effect (P=0.000, three-factor ANOVA), respectively, on the plant density of bryophytes, and a highly significant positive effect on the chlorophyll a and exopolysaccharide contents (P=0.000, P=0.000; P=0.000, P=0.000; one-way ANOVA). Knop nutrient solution did not have a significant positive but rather negative effect on the promotion of moss-dominated crust development (P=0.270, three-factor ANOVA). Moss-dominated crusts treated with the combination of moderate-intensity light (6,000 lx) + high watering frequency (1 watering/2 days) - Knop had the highest moss plant densities, while the treatment with high-intensity light (12,000 lx) + high watering frequency (1 watering/2 days) + Knop nutrient solution had higher chlorophyll a contents than that under other treatments. It is entirely feasible to achieve the rapid development of moss crusts under laboratory conditions by regulating key factors and creating the right environment. Future applications may seek to use cultured bryophytes to control erosion in vulnerable areas with urgent needs.

Biological soil crusts determine the germination and growth of two exotic plants

“…Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are photosynthetic and diazotrophic organisms that include cyanobacteria, green algae, lichens, and mosses and that have adapted to the environmental stresses of high light, temperature, and desiccation (Belnap & Lange, ; Belnap, Phillips, & Troxler, ; Li, Jia, Long, & Zerbe, ). In arid and semiarid ecosystems, cryptogamic species of BSCs are considered ecosystem pioneers because they colonize surface soils by closely integrating with particles of the soil surface (Belnap & Lange, ; Bu, Zhang, Zhang, & Wu, ; Karsten, Herburger, & Holzinger, ). Thus, BSCs aggregate and stabilize the soil surface against wind and water erosion (Belnap & Lange, ; Lan, Wu, Zhang, & Hu, ; Mazor, Kidron, Vonshak, & Abeliovich, ).…”

Physiological responses of artificial moss biocrusts to dehydration-rehydration process and heat stress on the Loess Plateau, China

“…1) at the Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, China. We set the parameters of the phytotron based on our previous results (Bu et al, 2015), i.e., light intensity=1000 lux, humidity=60%, and CO 2 concentration=400 μmol/mol. During the cultivation period, soil water content in the topsoil layer (1-cm depth) was maintained at 25%-30% by regular watering through micro spraying with 50 mL/min flow, and 45 mL of Hoagland nutrient solution was sprayed every 20 d to each cultivation box.…”

“…Therefore, the rapid artificial cultivation of moss biocrusts is of great practical significance to potentially accelerate the recovery of moss biocrusts in disturbed ecosystems (Chiquoine et al, 2016). Only very recently, several artificial cultivation methods of moss biocrusts were developed, confirming that the technology of rapid artificial cultivation of moss biocrusts is practical (Chen, 2009;Bu et al, 2014Bu et al, , 2015Doherty et al, 2015;Antoninka et al, 2016). During artificial cultivation, growth-favoring environmental conditions (such as near-optimal and relatively invariant soil moisture, air humidity, temperature, and light) were often artificially created to rapidly form the moss biocrusts.…”

Effect of Invasive Alien Species on the Co-Occurrence Patterns of Bryophytes and Vascular Plant Species—The Case of a Mediterranean Disturbed Sandy Coast

“…In these ecosystems, an essential ecological function is related to biological soil crusts (BSCs), i.e., ecological pioneer communities of living organisms present on the soil surface in arid and semiarid ecosystems. Due to their ability to fix sand, BSCs promote the increase of organic matter content in the soils, facilitating the existence of the suitable conditions for the establishment, colonization and growth of vascular plants [6,7]. Among biological soil crusts (BSCs), moss crusts represent an advanced stage of development [6].…”

“…Due to their ability to fix sand, BSCs promote the increase of organic matter content in the soils, facilitating the existence of the suitable conditions for the establishment, colonization and growth of vascular plants [6,7]. Among biological soil crusts (BSCs), moss crusts represent an advanced stage of development [6]. Regardless of this fundamental ecological part played by mosses, ecological investigations of coastal ecosystems have been mainly focused on vascular plant communities, rarely involving cryptogamic taxa [4].…”