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Effects of inoculated Microcoleus vaginatus on the structure and function of biological soil crusts of desert

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Abstract

Microcoleus vaginatus Gom., the dominant species in biological soil crusts (BSCs) in desert regions, plays a significant role in maintaining the BSC structure and function. The BSC quality is commonly assessed by the chlorophyll a content, thickness, and compressive strength. Here, we have studied the effect of different proportions of M. vaginatus, collected from the Gurbantunggut Desert in northwestern China, on the BSC structure and function under laboratory conditions. We found that when M. vaginatus was absent in the BSC, the BSC coverage, quantified by the percentage of BSC area to total land surface area, was low with a chlorophyll a content of 4.77 × 10−2 mg g−1 dry soil, a thickness of 0.86 mm, and a compressive strength of 12.21 Pa. By increasing the percentage of M. vaginatus in the BSC, the BSC coverage, chlorophyll a content, crust thickness, and compressive strength all significantly increased (P < 0.01). The maximum chlorophyll a content (13.12 mg g−1dry soil), the highest crust thickness, and the compressive strength (1.48 mm and 36.60 Pa, respectively) occurred when the percentage of inoculated M. vaginatus reached 80% with a complex network of filaments under scanning electron microscope. The BSC quality indicated by the above variables, however, declined when the BSC was composed of pure M. vaginatus (monoculture). In addition, we found that secretion of filaments and polymer, which stick sands together in the BSC, increased remarkably with the increase of the dominant species until the percentage of M. vaginatus reached 80%. Our results suggest that not only the dominant species but also the accompanying taxa are critical for maintaining the structure and functions of the BSC and thus the stability of the BSC ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. Paolo Nannipieri and the anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments and suggestions on revising the manuscript. This research was partially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (31070184; 30770411) and the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (2008000158). The Chinese Academy of Sciences also supported Ming Xu's work through the Bairen Program. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Dr. Zhang Bingchang and Prof. Zhang Yuanming.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A Datun Road, Beijing, 100101, China

    Yunpu Zheng & Ming Xu

  2. Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China

    Yunpu Zheng

  3. Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Ming Xu

  4. College of Life Science, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050016, China

    Jiancheng Zhao & Lihua Hao

  5. College of Life Sciences, Langfang Normal University, Langfang, Hebei, 065000, China

    Shuqing Bei

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Zheng, Y., Xu, M., Zhao, J. et al. Effects of inoculated Microcoleus vaginatus on the structure and function of biological soil crusts of desert. Biol Fertil Soils 47, 473–480 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-010-0521-5

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