Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are commonly found on the soil surface in arid and semi-arid ecosystems (collectively called drylands). Biocrusts can consist of mosses, cyanobacteria, lichens, algae, and microfungi, and they strongly interact with the soil. These organisms or consortium of disparate organisms, depending on the specific biocrust, are important to the functioning of ecosystems and to the organization of plant and soil communities.
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Fact Sheet: Biological Soil Crusts—Webs of Life in the Desert
Mapping and Monitoring Biological Soil Crusts with Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
Interview with Dr. Sasha Reed on biocrusts and restoration
USGS b-roll video: "Mapping biocrust with UAS technology in Moab, Utah"
Biological Soil Crust Research in Western US Drylands
Biocrusts are consortia of bacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, lichens, and mosses that occupy the interface between soil and atmosphere in most drylands, providing critical ecosystem functions such as stabilizing soils and increasing fertility. Because drylands are our planet’s largest terrestrial biome, ecosystem health in drylands is globally important. Biocrust communities have been lost or degraded across the U.S. Southwest and Intermountain West due to land use practices such as grazing and energy development.
The loss of biocrusts drives reduced carbon uptake and soil fertility in the ecosystem, and decreased soil stability and water infiltration. A reduction in soil stability is especially troublesome, as destabilized soils can result in increases in dust production — a critical problem in the Southwest. These impacts magnify the effect of warming and drying on Colorado Plateau ecosystems in the absence of active adaptation measures to restore biocrusts in degraded areas. The biggest challenge is how to restore ecosystem function associated with biocrust in a way that will be successful now and, in the future.
Biocrust Restoration
Biological soil crust restoration aims to re-establish ecosystem function and build climate change resilience across ecologically disturbed drylands through cultivating and restoring biological soil crust (biocrust) communities. Biocrust organisms are essential for dryland ecosystems. They form the dominant land cover in many drylands and are crucial for increasing soil stability and reducing erosion in ecosystems that would otherwise rapidly lose their topsoil layer as wind-blown dust. They also increase soil fertility by increasing soil organic matter and nutrient content which are essential for plant growth and health. When we think about restoration in drylands we think of biocrusts first; they are essential for reclaiming a disturbed area to a functioning ecosystem.
The biocrust we propagate are salvaged from hotter deserts to the south and west, such that the organisms are adapted to hotter and drier conditions that are likely in a climate changing world. Because of their high visibility, and intersection with lands managed by a wide cross-section of public and private landholders, the restoration sites provide a strong platform for engagement and outreach regarding climate adaptive biocrust restoration. We monitor both the growth of biocrust and the associated ecosystem functions (soil stability, water infiltration, and soil fertility) over time to help evaluate project success. In addition, we measure soil stability and infiltration, as well as collect surface soil samples to measure the total carbon and nitrogen content, and plant available nitrogen content.
(Insert) - Image name: Harvesting biocrust from a future development site in Arches National Park. Photo by Colin Tucker.
All of our biological soil crust restoration inoculum currently comes from salvaged communities from sites that are destined for development. In this image above you can see field technicians harvest crust communities from an area in Arches National Park in Southeastern Utah, that is soon to be paved for a new parking lot. This allows us to culture these healthy communities, that would otherwise be destroyed, and then transplant them to our restoration sites.
(Insert) - Image name: Cyanobacteria holding soil aggregates together as biological soil crust (biocrust). Photo by Colin Tucker.
The goal of biocrust restoration is to increase the presence of these biocrust microbial communities in the soil to increase the stability, health, and fertility of desert soil ecosystems. As you can see from these photos, the earliest successional communities of cyanobacteria are fundamental for establishing a healthy biocrust community. They are the first soil colonizers and hold soil particles together with their filamentous biomass.
Mayberry Native Plant Propagation Center (Edit SUBHEADING)
(Insert) - Image name: Biocrust Farm at Mayberry Native Plant. Photo by Colin Tucker.
The world’s first-ever Biocrust Farm is located at the Mayberry Native Plant Propagation Center in Castle Valley, Utah. Here scientists and volunteers work together to grow biocrust communities until they are healthy and strong enough to be transplanted to restoration sites. In 2020, we started a new project at a reclaimed oil and gas well pad in Vernal, Utah.
BRIEFLY DISCUSS OTHER ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS... ADD TEXT
FUTURE DIRECTIONS... ADD MORE TEXT BELOW
In 2020 we will begin to develop a new method of biocrust restoration, using a liquid cyanobacterial slurry to disperse inoculum for biocrusts on a larger scale. We hope the development of this method can be used for reclaiming large disturbed sites that are too large to restore with dry inoculum, such as those affected by oil and gas development throughout the Southwest.
Remote Sensing of Biological Soil Crusts
Drylands are highly vulnerable to climate and land use changes: what ecosystem changes are in store?
Completing the dryland puzzle: creating a predictive framework for biological soil crust function and response to climate change
USGS Outstanding in the Field: Biocrusts (Ep. 9)
Welcome to another episode of Outstanding in the Field, the U.S. Geological Survey’s podcast series produced by the Ecosystems Mission Area. We highlight our fun and fascinating fieldwork studying ecosystems across the country. Today we’ll be discussing tiny communities that are found on the surface of the soil in the harsh environments of cold and hot deserts.
- Overview
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are commonly found on the soil surface in arid and semi-arid ecosystems (collectively called drylands). Biocrusts can consist of mosses, cyanobacteria, lichens, algae, and microfungi, and they strongly interact with the soil. These organisms or consortium of disparate organisms, depending on the specific biocrust, are important to the functioning of ecosystems and to the organization of plant and soil communities.
THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE & PLEASE CHECK BACK!
Fact Sheet: Biological Soil Crusts—Webs of Life in the DesertFact Sheet: Biological Soil Crusts—Webs of Life in the DesertMapping and Monitoring Biological Soil Crusts with Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)Mapping and Monitoring Biological Soil Crusts with Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)Interview with Dr. Sasha Reed on biocrusts and restorationInterview with Dr. Sasha Reed on biocrusts and restorationUSGS b-roll video: "Mapping biocrust with UAS technology in Moab, Utah"USGS b-roll video: "Mapping biocrust with UAS technology in Moab, Utah"Biological Soil Crust Research in Western US Drylands
Biocrusts are consortia of bacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, lichens, and mosses that occupy the interface between soil and atmosphere in most drylands, providing critical ecosystem functions such as stabilizing soils and increasing fertility. Because drylands are our planet’s largest terrestrial biome, ecosystem health in drylands is globally important. Biocrust communities have been lost or degraded across the U.S. Southwest and Intermountain West due to land use practices such as grazing and energy development.
The loss of biocrusts drives reduced carbon uptake and soil fertility in the ecosystem, and decreased soil stability and water infiltration. A reduction in soil stability is especially troublesome, as destabilized soils can result in increases in dust production — a critical problem in the Southwest. These impacts magnify the effect of warming and drying on Colorado Plateau ecosystems in the absence of active adaptation measures to restore biocrusts in degraded areas. The biggest challenge is how to restore ecosystem function associated with biocrust in a way that will be successful now and, in the future.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Biocrusts with moss species. Photo taken by SBSC in Utah, during surveys, 2017, courtesy of Erika Geiger. Biocrust Restoration
Biological soil crust restoration aims to re-establish ecosystem function and build climate change resilience across ecologically disturbed drylands through cultivating and restoring biological soil crust (biocrust) communities. Biocrust organisms are essential for dryland ecosystems. They form the dominant land cover in many drylands and are crucial for increasing soil stability and reducing erosion in ecosystems that would otherwise rapidly lose their topsoil layer as wind-blown dust. They also increase soil fertility by increasing soil organic matter and nutrient content which are essential for plant growth and health. When we think about restoration in drylands we think of biocrusts first; they are essential for reclaiming a disturbed area to a functioning ecosystem.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Biocrust survey, Colorado Plateau, Utah, with SBSC staff. Photo courtesy of Erika Geiger, USGS, 2018. The biocrust we propagate are salvaged from hotter deserts to the south and west, such that the organisms are adapted to hotter and drier conditions that are likely in a climate changing world. Because of their high visibility, and intersection with lands managed by a wide cross-section of public and private landholders, the restoration sites provide a strong platform for engagement and outreach regarding climate adaptive biocrust restoration. We monitor both the growth of biocrust and the associated ecosystem functions (soil stability, water infiltration, and soil fertility) over time to help evaluate project success. In addition, we measure soil stability and infiltration, as well as collect surface soil samples to measure the total carbon and nitrogen content, and plant available nitrogen content.
(Insert) - Image name: Harvesting biocrust from a future development site in Arches National Park. Photo by Colin Tucker.
All of our biological soil crust restoration inoculum currently comes from salvaged communities from sites that are destined for development. In this image above you can see field technicians harvest crust communities from an area in Arches National Park in Southeastern Utah, that is soon to be paved for a new parking lot. This allows us to culture these healthy communities, that would otherwise be destroyed, and then transplant them to our restoration sites.
(Insert) - Image name: Cyanobacteria holding soil aggregates together as biological soil crust (biocrust). Photo by Colin Tucker.
The goal of biocrust restoration is to increase the presence of these biocrust microbial communities in the soil to increase the stability, health, and fertility of desert soil ecosystems. As you can see from these photos, the earliest successional communities of cyanobacteria are fundamental for establishing a healthy biocrust community. They are the first soil colonizers and hold soil particles together with their filamentous biomass.
Mayberry Native Plant Propagation Center (Edit SUBHEADING)
(Insert) - Image name: Biocrust Farm at Mayberry Native Plant. Photo by Colin Tucker.
The world’s first-ever Biocrust Farm is located at the Mayberry Native Plant Propagation Center in Castle Valley, Utah. Here scientists and volunteers work together to grow biocrust communities until they are healthy and strong enough to be transplanted to restoration sites. In 2020, we started a new project at a reclaimed oil and gas well pad in Vernal, Utah.
Healthy dryland vegetation and biocrusts in Utah. The biocrusts are the darker-colored patches between the bunches of grasses and cacti. (Credit: Hilda Smith, USGS. Public domain.) BRIEFLY DISCUSS OTHER ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS... ADD TEXT
FUTURE DIRECTIONS... ADD MORE TEXT BELOW
In 2020 we will begin to develop a new method of biocrust restoration, using a liquid cyanobacterial slurry to disperse inoculum for biocrusts on a larger scale. We hope the development of this method can be used for reclaiming large disturbed sites that are too large to restore with dry inoculum, such as those affected by oil and gas development throughout the Southwest.
- Science
Remote Sensing of Biological Soil Crusts
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts, photoautotrophic soil surface communities comprised of cyanobacteria, algae, bryophytes, lichens, and fungi) occur in drylands globally where they contribute to ecosystem functioning by increasing soil stability, reducing dust emissions, and modifying soil resource availability (e.g., water, nutrients) (Fig 1.3.1). Despite increasing recognition and interest in...Drylands are highly vulnerable to climate and land use changes: what ecosystem changes are in store?
Improper land use during drought has been a major driver of land degradation in drylands globally, especially in the western U.S. Increasing aridity in western U.S. drylands under future climates will exacerbate risks associated with drought and land use decisions. This project provides critical observational, experimental, and modelling evidence to support our DOI partners with decision processes...Completing the dryland puzzle: creating a predictive framework for biological soil crust function and response to climate change
Drylands are integral to the Earth system and the present and future of human society. Drylands encompass more than 40% of the terrestrial landmass and support 34% of the world’s human population. Biocrusts are the “living skin” of Earth’s drylands, sometimes dominating the ground cover and figuring prominently in ecosystem structure and function. Biocrusts are a biological aggregate of cyanobact - Data
- Multimedia
USGS Outstanding in the Field: Biocrusts (Ep. 9)
Welcome to another episode of Outstanding in the Field, the U.S. Geological Survey’s podcast series produced by the Ecosystems Mission Area. We highlight our fun and fascinating fieldwork studying ecosystems across the country. Today we’ll be discussing tiny communities that are found on the surface of the soil in the harsh environments of cold and hot deserts.
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