Journal
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
Volume 73, Issue 13, Pages 4362-4379Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac162
Keywords
Biological soil crusts; bryophytes; cyanobacteria; ecosystem engineers; eukaryotic algae; lichens
Categories
Funding
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) [407321/2018-7]
- Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) [APQ-05454-18]
- Programa de Pos-Graduacao em BiologiaVegetal da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
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This review summarizes studies on biological soil crusts (BSCs) in Brazil, highlighting the importance of ecological, physiological, and taxonomic knowledge of these ecosystems. Comparisons with BSC communities in other parts of the world are made, and potential uses of BSCs in the colonization of other planets are proposed.
When bryophytes, lichens, eukaryotic algae, cyanobacteria, bacteria, and fungi live interacting intimately with the most superficial particles of the soil, they form a complex community of organisms called the biological soil crust (BSC or biocrust). These biocrusts occur predominantly in drylands, where they provide important ecological services such as soil aggregation, moisture retention, and nitrogen fixation. Unfortunately, many BSC communities remain poorly explored, especially in the tropics. This review summarizes studies about BSCs in Brazil, a tropical megadiverse country, and shows the importance of ecological, physiological, and taxonomic knowledge of biocrusts. We also compare Brazilian BSC communities with others around the world, describe why BSCs can be considered ecosystem engineers, and propose their use in the colonization of other worlds. We summarize studies on biological soil crusts (BSCs) in Brazil and their relevance as ecosystem engineers. We also present uses of BSCs in the colonization of bare soils.
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