Biocrust carbon exchange varies with crust type and time on Chihuahuan Desert gypsum soils.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

In dryland systems, biological soil crusts (biocrusts) can occupy large areas of plant interspaces, where they fix carbon following rain. Although distinct biocrust types contain different dominant photoautotrophs, few studies to date have documented carbon exchange over time from various biocrust types. This is especially true for gypsum soils. Our objective was to assess the carbon exchange of biocrust types established at the world's largest gypsum dune field at White Sands National Park.

Methods

We sampled five different biocrust types from a sand sheet location in three different years and seasons (summer 2020, fall 2021, and winter 2022) for carbon exchange measurements in controlled lab conditions. Biocrusts were rehydrated to full saturation and light in

SUBMITTER: Hoellrich MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10208066 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature