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Diurnal variations of chlorophyll fluorescence and CO2 exchange of biological soil crusts in different successional stages in the Gurbantunggut Desert of northwestern China

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Ecological Research

Abstract

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) formed by different combinations of photosynthetic algae, cyanobacteria, lichens and mosses are well-developed in the Gurbantunggut Desert of northwestern China. To investigate the different responses of BSCs to environmental factors, the diurnal variations of chlorophyll fluorescence and CO2 exchange of BSCs in different successional stages were measured following artificial rehydration in the field. Results showed that the maximum potential quantum efficiency of PSII (F v/F m), the actual PSII efficiency (ΦPSII) and the relative rate of electron transport as well as net photosynthesis of the different successional BSCs varied similarly and changed markedly with diurnal fluctuations in light and temperature. Further analyses indicated that CO2 exchange and photosynthetic pigment content of chlorophyll (Chl) a, Chl b and carotenoids increased with the developmental level of BSCs, from cyanobacterial crust to lichen crust to moss crust. The differences in responses of BSCs to environmental factors and photosynthetic pigment content may be partially attributed to differences in species composition and morphological characteristics of the various BSCs. Overall, moss crust is better adapted to a wide range of irradiance and higher temperatures than lichen and cyanobacterial crusts. Therefore, BSCs in a later successional stage are expected to play a more important role in desertification control than those of the earlier stages.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on the manuscript. We also would like to thank Lin Wu, Yao-Bin Liu, Zhi-Bin Zhou and Ye Tao for their assistance with field measurements. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1203301) and by a grant from West Light Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XBBS201103).

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  1. Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 South Beijing Road, Ürümqi, 830011, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China

    Jing Zhang & Yuan-Ming Zhang

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  1. Jing Zhang
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  2. Yuan-Ming Zhang
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Correspondence to Yuan-Ming Zhang.

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Zhang, J., Zhang, YM. Diurnal variations of chlorophyll fluorescence and CO2 exchange of biological soil crusts in different successional stages in the Gurbantunggut Desert of northwestern China. Ecol Res 29, 289–298 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-013-1122-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-013-1122-1

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