Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are ubiquitous lichen–bryophyte microbial communities, which
are critical structural and functional components of many ecosystems. However, BSCs are …

Despite that soils may be the greatest repository of biodiversity on Earth, and that most
terrestrial ecosystem functions occur in the soil, research on the role of soil biodiversity in …

Photoautotrophic surface communities forming biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are crucial
for soil stability as well as water, nutrient and trace gas cycling at regional and global scales …

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) cover about 12% of the Earth's land masses, thereby
providing ecosystem services and affecting biogeochemical fluxes on a global scale. They …

Water and nutrients are scarce resources in arid and semiarid ecosystems. In these regions,
biological soil crusts (BSCs) occupy a large part of the soil surface in the open spaces …

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are found in all dryland regions of the world, including the polar
regions. They are also known to occur in the southern African region. Although there were a …

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are heterogeneously distributed in space, and the drivers of
their distribution depend on the spatial scale of observation. Globally, there are about 1544 …

Biocrusts and vascular plants interact on many levels. The nature and consequences of
these interactions vary with biocrust and plant characteristics and environmental conditions …

Soil erosion and subsequent degradation has been a contributor to societal collapse in the
past and is one of the major expressions of desertification in arid regions. The revised …

Interest in understanding the role of biocrusts as ecosystem engineers in drylands has
substantially increased during the past two decades. Mosses are a major component of …