Species-specific nitrogenase activity in lichen-dominated biological soil crusts from the Colorado Plateau, USA

Torres-Cruz, Terry J.; Howell, Armin J.; Reibold, Robin; McHugh, Theresa A.; Eickhoff, Mackenzie A.; Reed, Sasha C.

doi:10.1007/s11104-018-3580-2

Cited by 36 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…One common theme that emerges are fundamental differences between mosses and lichens, and between cyanolichens and chlorolichens. Torres-Cruz et al (2018) measures nitrogen fixation rates and tissue nitrogen concentration in four co-occurring lichen species, finding that biocrusts dominated by all four species fix some nitrogen, but that cyanolichen-dominated biocrusts likely contribute the most to ecosystem nitrogen stocks. Given that N-fixation is among the most touted of biocrust effect traits, it is surprising that so few species-level rates are available.…”

Section: The Emergence Of Trait-based Biocrust Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Biocrusts: the living skin of the earth

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Section: The Emergence Of Trait-based Biocrust Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Biocrusts: the living skin of the earth

et al. 2018

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“…We present ecological effects of different grazing intensities in the three sites relative to EX conditions (aridity × grazing experiment), whereas we show the ecological effect of time after grazing abandonment in the different temporal EX relative to the GR condition (recovery rates experiment). Effect size calculations were computed using the 'effsize' R package (Torchiano, 2017).…”

Section: Data Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To the best of our knowledge, only one study explores the effects of both grazing and aridity on biocrusts (Mallen-Cooper et al, 2018). Considered to be the 'living skin' of soils in drylands (Bowker et al, 2018), biocrusts play key ecological roles: they stabilize soils, thus reducing rates of wind erosion and dust particle production , regulate soil surface temperature (Couradeau et al, 2016), drive soil C (Grote et al, 2010), N (Torres-Cruz et al, 2018), and P (Baumann et al, 2018) cycles, control runoff-infiltration dynamics (Chamizo et al, 2016), and modulate the establishment of plants (Ferrenberg et al, 2018). Considered to be the 'living skin' of soils in drylands (Bowker et al, 2018), biocrusts play key ecological roles: they stabilize soils, thus reducing rates of wind erosion and dust particle production , regulate soil surface temperature (Couradeau et al, 2016), drive soil C (Grote et al, 2010), N (Torres-Cruz et al, 2018), and P (Baumann et al, 2018) cycles, control runoff-infiltration dynamics (Chamizo et al, 2016), and modulate the establishment of plants (Ferrenberg et al, 2018).…”

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“…This is surprising because biocrusts cover approximately 12% of Earth's terrestrial surface (Rodriguez-Caballero et al, 2018) and occur in all biomes, although they are particularly abundant in sparsely vegetated ecosystems such as drylands . Considered to be the 'living skin' of soils in drylands (Bowker et al, 2018), biocrusts play key ecological roles: they stabilize soils, thus reducing rates of wind erosion and dust particle production , regulate soil surface temperature (Couradeau et al, 2016), drive soil C (Grote et al, 2010), N (Torres-Cruz et al, 2018), and P (Baumann et al, 2018) cycles, control runoff-infiltration dynamics (Chamizo et al, 2016), and modulate the establishment of plants (Ferrenberg et al, 2018). Although well adapted to harsh environmental conditions (extreme temperatures or ultraviolet radiation), biocrusts are highly susceptible to compressional forces, such as those generated from vehicle traffic associated with production or recreation activities.…”

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Grazing pressure interacts with aridity to determine the development and diversity of biological soil crusts in Patagonian rangelands

et al. 2019

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Grazing is directly related to land degradation and desertification in global drylands.Grazing impacts on vascular plants, reasonably well-known, depend on its intensity and are modulated by local aridity conditions. However, we do not know how the interplay of grazing intensity and aridity affect biocrusts, topsoil assemblages dominated by cyanobacteria, lichens, and mosses that provide key ecosystem services in drylands. Here, we determined how grazing affects biomass, total cover, and richness of biocrust structural types across a regional aridity gradient in the Patagonian steppe. On average, grazing by sheep reduced biocrust biomass, total cover and richness of structural types by 55, 90, and 59%, respectively. In general, high grazing pressures had a larger impact on biocrusts than moderate or light grazing pressures.For example, biocrust cover was reduced by 85, 89, and 98% by light, moderate, and high grazing pressures, respectively. Although a slightly different response to grazing was observed under low aridity conditions, these more benign climatic conditions did not compensate for the negative effects of trampling by domestic animals on biocrusts.Nonetheless, estimated biocrust recovery rates under medium aridity conditions were faster than previously thought: it took 24, 18, and 58 years to double biocrust biomass, total cover, and richness of structural types. Sheep cannot be just removed in Patagonian rangelands because the production of meat and wool represents the main local economic activity. But landowners must consider our results to protect the ecosystem functions and services provided by biocrusts for future generations to come. K E Y W O R D Saridity, biocrusts, grazing intensity, Patagonian steppe, recovery rates

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“…Antoninka et al ). In addition to stabilizing soil, maintaining surface hydrology, and mediating soil‐atmosphere exchanges (Bowker et al ; Darrouzet‐Nardi et al ; Faist et al ; Torres‐Cruz et al ), biological soil crusts are influential in the structure and function of native plant communities as they increase plant germination rates, plant growth, and nutrient uptake (Harper & Belnap ; Su et al ). For this reason, preserving biocrusted topsoil may be a particularly useful restoration technique on the Colorado Plateau and in other drylands; adding salvaged topsoil can enhance plant survival nearly as much as irrigation in drylands (Abella et al ).…”

Section: Interacting Factors Affecting Restoration Successmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond traditional ecological restoration on the Colorado Plateau

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Restoration Ecology

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The Colorado Plateau is one of North America's five major deserts, encompassing 340,000 km 2 of the western United States, and offering many opportunities for restoration relevant to researchers and land managers in drylands around the globe. The Colorado Plateau is comprised of vast tracts of public land managed by local, state, and federal agencies that oversee a wide range of activities (e.g., mineral and energy extraction, livestock grazing, and recreation). About 75% of the Plateau is managed by federal and tribal agencies and tens of millions of people visit the Plateau's public lands each year. However, even in the face of this diverse use, our knowledge of effective ways to restore Plateau ecosystems remains relatively poor. Further, the multiple agencies on the Plateau have mandates that differ greatly in allowable practices, restoration needs, and desired outcomes. The Colorado Plateau is also expected to undergo ecosystem shifts in the face of climate change, further complicating management decisions and potentially limiting some options while creating others. Here, we explore the current state of Colorado Plateau restoration science and underscore key challenges and opportunities for improving our capacity to maintain the myriad of services provided by these desert ecosystems. We highlight past research efforts and future needs related to restoration concepts, including consideration and design of novel ecosystems, mitigation for and adaptation to climate change, use of genetically diverse seed adapted for current and future conditions, and the value of strong multi-agency and stakeholder collaborations in restoring systems on the Colorado Plateau and beyond.

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Species-specific nitrogenase activity in lichen-dominated biological soil crusts from the Colorado Plateau, USA

Cited by 36 publications

References 42 publications

Biocrusts: the living skin of the earth

Biocrusts: the living skin of the earth

Grazing pressure interacts with aridity to determine the development and diversity of biological soil crusts in Patagonian rangelands

Beyond traditional ecological restoration on the Colorado Plateau

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