Structure and functioning of dryland ecosystems in a changing world

FT Maestre, DJ Eldridge, S Soliveres… - Annual review of …, 2016 - annualreviews.org
Understanding how drylands respond to ongoing environmental change is extremely
important for global sustainability. In this review, we discuss how biotic attributes, climate …

Biocrusts positively affect the soil water balance in semiarid ecosystems

S Chamizo, Y Cantón, E Rodríguez‐Caballero… - …, 2016 - Wiley Online Library
Biocrusts play crucial roles in hydrological processes by controlling soil water availability
and regulating water redistribution from source to sink areas. Most studies have examined …

Global ecosystem thresholds driven by aridity

M Berdugo, M Delgado-Baquerizo, S Soliveres… - Science, 2020 - science.org
Aridity, which is increasing worldwide because of climate change, affects the structure and
functioning of dryland ecosystems. Whether aridification leads to gradual (versus abrupt) …

Relationships between nitrogen cycling microbial community abundance and composition reveal the indirect effect of soil pH on oak decline

K Scarlett, S Denman, DR Clark, J Forster… - The ISME …, 2021 - academic.oup.com
Tree decline is a global concern and the primary cause is often unknown. Complex
interactions between fluctuations in nitrogen (N) and acidifying compounds have been …

Ecological mechanisms underlying aridity thresholds in global drylands

M Berdugo, B Vidiella, RV Solé… - Functional Ecology, 2022 - Wiley Online Library
With ongoing climate change, the probability of crossing environmental thresholds
promoting abrupt changes in ecosystem structure and functioning is higher than ever. In …

Mechanisms for biocrust-modulated runoff generation–A review

GJ Kidron, L Lichner, T Fischer, A Starinsky, D Or - Earth-Science Reviews, 2022 - Elsevier
The complex interactions between biocrust properties and rainfall characteristics give rise to
partitioning of infiltration and runoff. In this review we examine primary mechanisms for …

Biological soil crust and disturbance controls on surface hydrology in a semi‐arid ecosystem

AM Faist, JE Herrick, J Belnap, JW Van Zee… - …, 2017 - Wiley Online Library
Biological soil crust communities (biocrusts) play an important role in surface hydrologic
processes in dryland ecosystems and can be dramatically altered with soil surface …

The role of biocrusts in arid land hydrology

S Chamizo, J Belnap, DJ Eldridge, Y Cantón… - Biological soil crusts: An …, 2016 - Springer
Biocrusts exert a strong influence on hydrological processes in drylands by modifying
numerous soil properties that affect water retention and movement in soils. Yet, their role in …

Biogeochemical dynamics of nutrients and rare earth elements (REEs) during natural succession from biocrusts to pioneer plants in REE mine tailings in southern …

MN Guo, X Zhong, WS Liu, GB Wang, YQ Chao… - Science of the Total …, 2022 - Elsevier
The exploitation of ion-adsorption rare earth element (REE) deposits has resulted in large
quantities of abandoned mine tailings, which pose significant risks to the surrounding …

Soil bacterial and fungal community responses to nitrogen addition across soil depth and microhabitat in an arid shrubland

RC Mueller, J Belnap, CR Kuske - Frontiers in microbiology, 2015 - frontiersin.org
Arid shrublands are stressful environments, typified by alkaline soils low in organic matter,
with biologically-limiting extremes in water availability, temperature, and UV radiation. The …