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In arid and semiarid lands throughout the world, many of the open spaces between higher plants are covered by biological soil crusts, communities of cyanobacteria: algae, lichens, and bryophytes associated with bacteria and fungi. These crusts are miniature ecosystems between the atmosphere and soil, furnishing a habitat where microorganisms conduct nutrient recycles, especially nitrogen fixation, and contribute nutrients to the soils underneath. Photosynthetic components and ecosystem metabolism have been extensively studied, but the microfauna contributing to crust bacterial functioning have received little attention. This study of five crusts in southeastern Utah describes diversity and abundance of the protozoa,...