Abstract:Soil biocrusts, also known as biological soil crusts or microbiotic crusts, are composed of different proportions of cyanobacteria, green algae, lichens, mosses, fungi, and bacteria, which commonly occupy the upper 0.1–2 cm of the soil. They are especially abundant between the 100‐ and 300‐mm isohyets, where they may occupy up to 80–90% of the surface. Once covering the surface, they may largely affect the ecosystem. They contribute to surface stability, affect the surface and subsurface hydrology (whether inf… Show more
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