Biological soil crusts

Burkhard Büdel*, Claudia Colesie

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract / Description of output

Biological soil crusts (BSC) live in the upper millimeters of the soil and are composed of bacteria, algae, fungi, lichens, and bryophytes in different proportions. They occur in arid environments of the Earths or wherever an arid microclimate is realized. BSCs increase soil stability, resistance to erosion, and soil fertility. While for single groups of soil inhabiting cryptogams (including bacteria) a number of studies exist, the concept of biological soil crusts is not well established for Antarctica yet. Here we summarize knowledge about Antarctic BSCs from our own work and from literature, the latter being especially searched for descriptions of photoautotrophic communities that can be interpreted as BSCs.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAntarctic Terrestrial Microbiology
Subtitle of host publicationPhysical and Biological Properties of Antarctic Soils
PublisherSpringer
Pages131-161
Number of pages31
Volume9783642452130
ISBN (Electronic)9783642452130
ISBN (Print)3642452124, 9783642452123
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2014

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