Corey Nelson Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are communities of microbes that inhabit the surface of arid soils and provide essential services to dryland ecosystems. While resistant to extreme environmental conditions, biocrusts are susceptible to anthropogenic disturbances that can deprive ecosystems of these valuable services for decades. Until recently, many culture-based efforts to produce inoculum for […]

Sam Jordan Intense droughts and human disturbances occur in many terrestrial ecosystems, but their direct and interactive effects on individuals, communities, and ecosystems remain largely unknown. Research in both disturbance and climate change ecology has a rich history, but there is a paucity of studies that combine both drivers. Using experimental manipulations to isolate the

Mikaela Hoellrich Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are living soil aggregates hosting diverse communities of lichens, bryophytes, cyanobacteria, and other microorganisms in the uppermost millimeters of dryland soils. Biocrusts array along a gradient of structural complexity distinguished by the dominant photoautotroph. Consequently, each biocrust type can host a unique microbial community with different biogeochemical processes. Additionally,

Courtney M. Currier, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA, Osvaldo E. Sala, School of Life Sciences and School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA In tandem with soil water availability, biogeochemical mechanisms play a crucial role in terrestrial productivity. After water, nitrogen (N) availability is the most important limiting