Changes in Microbial Composition During the Succession of Biological Soil Crusts in Alpine Hulun Buir Sandy Land, China.

ABSTRACT: Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are considered "desert ecosystem engineers" because they play a vital role in the restoration and stability maintenance of deserts, including those cold sandy land ecosystems at high latitudes, which are especially understudied. Microorganisms participate in the formation and succession of biocrusts, contributing to soil properties' improvement and the stability of soil aggregates, and thus vegetation development. Accordingly, understanding the composition and successional characteristics of microorganisms is a prerequisite for analyzing the ecological functions of biocrusts and related applications. Here, the Hulun Buir Sandy Land region in northeastern China-lying at the highest latitude of any sandy land in the country-was selected for study. Through a

SUBMITTER: Duan Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10873229 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature