Filters: Tags: Soil Biology and Biochemistry (X) > partyWithName: Belnap, Jayne (X)
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Nutrient availability affects pigment production but not growth in lichens of biological soil crusts
Recent research suggests that micronutrients such as Mn may limit growth of slow-growing biological soil crusts (BSCs) in some of the drylands of the world. These soil surface communities contribute strongly to arid ecosystem function and are easily degraded, creating a need for new restoration tools. The possibility that Mn fertilization could be used as a restoration tool for BSCs has not been tested previously. We used microcosms in a controlled greenhouse setting to investigate the hypothesis that Mn may limit photosynthesis and consequently growth in Collema tenax, a dominant N-fixing lichen found in BSCs worldwide. We found no evidence to support our hypothesis; furthermore, addition of other nutrients (primarily...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation,
Journal Citation;
Tags: Soil Biology and Biochemistry,
arid lands,
cryptogams,
cyanobacteria,
ecological restoration,
Dryland ecosystems have long been considered to have a highly heterogeneous distribution of nutrients and soil biota, with greater concentrations of both in soils under plants relative to interspace soils. We examined the distribution of soil resources in two plant communities (dominated by either the shrub Coleogyne ramosissima or the grass Stipa hymenoides) at two locations. Interspace soils were covered either by early successional biological soil crusts (BSCs) or by later successional BSCs (dominated by nitrogen (N)-fixing cyanobacteria and lichens). For each of the 8 plant type�crust type�locations, we sampled the stem, dripline, and 3 interspace distances around each of 3 plants. Soil analyses revealed that...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation,
Journal Citation;
Tags: Soil Biology and Biochemistry,
biological soil crusts,
islands of fertility,
soil chemistry,
soil fauna,
Soil erosion and subsequent degradation has been a contributor to societal collapse in the past and is one of the major expressions of desertification in arid regions. The revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) models soil lost to water erosion as a function of climate erosivity (the degree to which rainfall can result in erosion), topography, soil erodibility, and land use/management. The soil erodibility factor (K) is primarily based upon inherent soil properties (those which change slowly or not at all) such as soil texture and organic matter content, while the cover/management factor (C) is based on several parameters including biological soil crust (BSC) cover. We examined the effect of two more precise...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation,
Journal Citation;
Tags: Soil Biology and Biochemistry,
arid and semi-arid regions,
cryptobiotic soil crusts,
cryptogams,
cyanobacteria,
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