In arid and semiarid lands throughout the world, where the cover of vegetation is sparse or absent, the open spaces between the higher plants are generally not bare of autotrophic life, but covered by a community of highly specialized organisms. This soil-surface community consists of cyanob- teria, algae, lichens, mosses, microfungi, and other bacteria in differing proportions. Cyanobacterial and microfungal filaments, rhizinae and rhi- morphs of lichens, and the rhizinae and protonemata of bryophytes weave throughout the top few millimeters of soil, gluing loose soil particles together....
In arid and semiarid lands throughout the world, where the cover of vegetation is sparse or absent, the open spaces between the higher plants are gene...
This volume summarizes our currentunderstanding of biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which are omnipresent indryland regions. The authorsshow that biocrusts are an integral part of dryland ecosystems, stabilizingsoils, influencing plant germination and growth, and playing a key role incarbon, nitrogen and water cycling.
This volume summarizes our currentunderstanding of biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which are omnipresent indryland regions. The authorsshow that b...
