Please note that this session was withdrawn and is no longer available in the respective programme. This withdrawal might have been the result of a merge with another session.
BG3.11 | Biological Soil Crusts (biocrusts): The living skin of the Earth
Biological Soil Crusts (biocrusts): The living skin of the Earth
Convener: Steffen Seitz | Co-conveners: Miriam Muñoz-Rojas, Vincent Felde
Biological soil crusts (“biocrusts”) are biogeochemical hotspots on the soil surface that greatly effect many ecosystem processes in arid, semi-arid, and partly also mesic environments. They are communities of cyanobacterias, algae, fungi, lichen and bryophytes, which are able to form a coherent layer on and within the uppermost millimeters of the soil. Driven by a very dynamic research community and strong publication activity in the last two decades, numerous effects of biocrusts on e.g. nutrient cycling, soil stabilization, or hydrological processes, as well as their use for ecosystem restoration have been described globally. As studies on biocrusts continue, there is an ever-increasing understanding of the central role they play in the structure and function of many ecosystems worldwide and the wealth of recent findings calls for a common forum in which they can be presented and discussed.
This session aims to illustrate recent progress in biocrust research and to cover all possible facets of this dynamic research field. Next to research from dryland areas, we particularly welcome studies from other ecosystems including mesic environments. Moreover, we strongly encourage early career scientists to present their research, but also ideas and new approaches, which can be discussed during the session.