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Biological Soil Crusts: An Organizing Principle in Drylands

  • Book
  • © 2016

Overview

  • updated overview of the field following the publication of Volume 150 on
  • biocrusts in 2003
  • Enhances our understanding of the role of biocrusts as an organizing principle in drylands
  • Identifies knowledge gaps and offers ideas for promising new research approaches
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies (ECOLSTUD, volume 226)

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Table of contents (25 chapters)

  1. Functional Roles of Biological Soil Crusts

  2. Interactions Between Biological Soil Crusts and Vascular Plants

  3. Threats to Biological Soil Crusts

  4. Natural and Enhanced Recovery and Management

  5. Future Research on Biological Soil Crusts

Keywords

About this book

This volume summarizes our current understanding of biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which are omnipresent in dryland regions. Since they cover the soil surface, they influence, or even control, all surface exchange processes. Being one of the oldest terrestrial communities, biocrusts comprise a high diversity of cyanobacteria, algae, lichens and bryophytes together with uncounted bacteria, and fungi. The authors show that biocrusts are an integral part of dryland ecosystems, stabilizing soils, influencing plant germination and growth, and playing a key role in carbon, nitrogen and water cycling. Initial attempts have been made to use biocrusts as models in ecological theory. On the other hand, biocrusts are endangered by local disruptions and global change, highlighting the need for enhanced recovery methods. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the fascinating field of biocrust research, making it indispensable not only for scientists in this area, but also for land managers, policy makers, and anyone interested in the environment.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Plank Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany

    Bettina Weber

  • Plant Ecology and Systematics, Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany

    Burkhard Büdel

  • Southwest Biological Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Moab, USA

    Jayne Belnap

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Biological Soil Crusts: An Organizing Principle in Drylands

  • Editors: Bettina Weber, Burkhard Büdel, Jayne Belnap

  • Series Title: Ecological Studies

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30214-0

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life Sciences, Biomedical and Life Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2016

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-30212-6Published: 27 May 2016

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-80752-2Published: 30 May 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-30214-0Published: 21 May 2016

  • Series ISSN: 0070-8356

  • Series E-ISSN: 2196-971X

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: IX, 549

  • Number of Illustrations: 49 b/w illustrations, 81 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Conservation Biology/Ecology, Soil Science & Conservation, Biogeosciences

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