Biocrusts and its disturbance controls on soil infiltrability in a semi‐arid ecosystem

Guan, Hongjie; Cao, Rongjiang

doi:10.1002/eco.2324

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…The pore clogging effect of exopolysaccharides can reduce infiltration of biocrusts and outweigh the benefits of lower evaporation ( Kidron et al, 1999 ; Chamizo et al, 2013a , b ). Higher infiltration rates in bare soils or after biocrust removal have also been reported in field studies ( Xiao et al, 2019 ; Guan and Cao, 2021 ), particularly on dry soils ( Chamizo et al, 2012b ) but physical crust and incipient biocrusts quickly form and reduce infiltration again ( Chamizo et al, 2012b ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Biocrusts intensify water redistribution and improve water availability to dryland vegetation: insights from a spatially-explicit ecohydrological model

2023

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Biocrusts are ecosystem engineers in drylands and structure the landscape through their ecohydrological effects. They regulate soil infiltration and evaporation but also surface water redistribution, providing important resources for vascular vegetation. Spatially-explicit ecohydrological models are useful tools to explore such ecohydrological mechanisms, but biocrusts have rarely been included in them. We contribute to closing this gap and assess how biocrusts shape spatio-temporal water fluxes and availability in a dryland landscape and how landscape hydrology is affected by climate-change induced shifts in the biocrust community. We extended the spatially-explicit, process-based ecohydrological dryland model EcoHyD by a biocrust layer which modifies water in- and outputs from the soil and affects surface runoff. The model was parameterized for a dryland hillslope in South-East Spain using field and literature data. We assessed the effect of biocrusts on landscape-scale soil moisture distribution, plant-available water and the hydrological processes behind it. To quantify the biocrust effects, we ran the model with and without biocrusts for a wet and dry year. Finally, we compared the effect of incipient and well-developed cyanobacteria- and lichen biocrusts on surface hydrology to evaluate possible paths forward if biocrust communities change due to climate change. Our model reproduced the runoff source-sink patterns typical of the landscape. The spatial differentiation of soil moisture in deeper layers matched the observed distribution of vascular vegetation. Biocrusts in the model led to higher water availability overall and in vegetated areas of the landscape and that this positive effect in part also held for a dry year. Compared to bare soil and incipient biocrusts, well-developed biocrusts protected the soil from evaporation thus preserving soil moisture despite lower infiltration while at the same time redistributing water toward downhill vegetation. Biocrust cover is vital for water redistribution and plant-available water but potential changes of biocrust composition and cover can reduce their ability of being a water source and sustaining dryland vegetation. The process-based model used in this study is a promising tool to further quantify and assess long-term scenarios of climate change and how it affects ecohydrological feedbacks that shape and stabilize dryland landscapes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Biocrusts intensify water redistribution and improve water availability to dryland vegetation: insights from a spatially-explicit ecohydrological model

2023

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“…Thus, GC + BSC was the detachment‐limited process. Although BSCs can change soil erosion processes, they are heavily disturbed in the wild due to human activities or natural disasters (Guan & Cao, 2021). Therefore, soil erosion processes under different disturbance manners and intensities of BSCs also need to be investigated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of typical grass cover combined with biocrusts on slope hydrology and soil erosion during rainstorms on the Loess Plateau of China: An experimental study

Dan

Liu

Zhao

et al. 2023

Hydrological Processes

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Biological soil crust (BSC), as a groundcover, is widely intergrown with grass. The effects of grass combined with BSCs on slope hydrology and soil erosion during rainfall are still unclear. In this study, simulated rainfall experiments were applied to a soil flume with four different slope cover treatments, namely, bare soil (CK), grass cover (GC), BSC, and GC + BSC, to observe the processes of runoff and sediment yield.Additionally, the soil moisture at different depths during infiltration was observed.The results showed that the runoff generated by rainfall for all treatments was in the following order: BSC > GC + BSC > CK > GC. Compared with CK, GC promoted infiltration, and BSC inhibited infiltration. The BSCs obviously inhibited infiltration at a depth of 8 cm. When the rainfall continued to infiltrate down to 16 and 24 cm, the effects of grass on promoting infiltration were stronger than those of BSCs on inhibiting infiltration. Compared with CK, the flow velocity of the BSC, GC and GC + BSC treatments was reduced by 62.8%, 32.3% and 68.3%, respectively. The BSCs and grass increased the critical shear stress by increasing the resistance. Additionally, the average sediment yield of GC and both treatments with BSCs was reduced by 80.8% and >99%, respectively, compared with CK. The soil erosion process was dominated by the soil detachment capacity in the CK, BSC and GC + BSC treatments, while the GC treatment showed a transport-limited process. This study provides a scientific basis for the reasonable spatial allocation of vegetation in arid and semiarid areas and the correction of vegetation cover factors in soil erosion prediction models.

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“…The effect of biocrusts on infiltration rates depends on the organisms that form the crust (Guan and Cao, 2021).…”

Section: Seasonal Thermal Effect By Biocrustsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into variations of seasonal and daily soil temperatures under the effect of biocrusts in central-western Argentina

Navas Romero,

Herrera Moratta,

Martínez-Carretero

et al. 2023

Acta Bot. Mex.

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Background and Aims: Biocrusts play an essential role on the earth’s surface and have a direct influence on soil parameters. Their effects on soil temperature are considered one of the most important because they affect ecological and hydrological processes, as well as the diversity of natural ecosystems. Although there are several studies concerning biocrust effects on the soil surface, investigations about the effect of the biocrust on soil temperature are still scarce. Our objective was to evaluate the influence of biocrusts on soil temperature conditions in drylands of central-western Argentina. Methods: Temperature values were recorded in the Monte phytogeographic region in the central-western part of Argentina, in three sites, during the dry and wet seasons in 2017-2018. We collected samples from a total of 30 randomly selected plots. We recorded daily temperatures values in two paired plots with crusted and uncrusted zones using a calibrated data logger Ibutton. The sampling took 18 days in total, three days on each site.Key results: Our results indicate that biocrusts produce a change in micro-soil temperatures. Areas in which biocrusts are present show a temperature reduction both in the wet and dry seasons. This effect is observed in the three studied sites. Temperature reduction varies according to the time of the day, study site and season. The morning, noon, and afternoon recorded the highest mean temperatures.Conclusions: The presence of biocrusts reduces soil temperatures in drylands of central-western Argentina. Large differences in mean temperature values between crusted and uncrusted zones were observed. The thermal reduction was more notorious in the hyper-arid site. How they affect their surrounding environment can be related to multiple factors, such as the composition of the microphytic community, the local climate and environmental conditions.

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Biocrusts and its disturbance controls on soil infiltrability in a semi‐arid ecosystem

Cited by 5 publications

References 60 publications

Biocrusts intensify water redistribution and improve water availability to dryland vegetation: insights from a spatially-explicit ecohydrological model

Biocrusts intensify water redistribution and improve water availability to dryland vegetation: insights from a spatially-explicit ecohydrological model

The effects of typical grass cover combined with biocrusts on slope hydrology and soil erosion during rainstorms on the Loess Plateau of China: An experimental study

Insights into variations of seasonal and daily soil temperatures under the effect of biocrusts in central-western Argentina

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