Field Guide to Biological Soil Crusts of Bandelier National Monument
Young K and Bowker M. 2017. Field Guide to Biological Soil Crusts of Bandelier National Monument
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are present in drylands worldwide. Biocrust communities are made up of lichens, mosses, cyanobacteria, fungi, and algae living on and in the top ~ 2 cm of the soil surface. These communities perform multiple ecosystem functions, including serving as a main source of soil stability in some drylands and contributing to the cycling of nutrients, specifically carbon and nitrogen.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Young, Kristina; Bowker, Matthew
- Date of Issue
- 2017
- Units
- BAND
- Keywords
- Algae, Cyanobacteria, Fungi, Lichen, Moss