Biological soil crusts decrease infiltration but increase erosion resistance in a human-disturbed tropical dry forest.

ABSTRACT: Under continuous human disturbance, regeneration is the basis for biodiversity persistence and ecosystem service provision. In tropical dry forests, edaphic ecosystem engineering by biological soil crusts (biocrusts) could impact regeneration by influencing erosion control and soil water and nutrient fluxes, which impact landscape hydrology, geomorphology, and ecosystem functioning. This study investigated the effect of cyanobacteria-dominated biocrusts on water infiltration and aggregate stability in a human-modified landscape of the Caatinga dry forest (NE Brazil), a system characterized by high levels of forest degradation and increasing aridity. By trapping dust and swelling of cyanobacterial filaments, biocrusts can seal soil surfaces and slow down infiltration, which potentially indu

SUBMITTER: Szyja M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10157249 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature