A Fog-Irrigated Soil Substrate System Unifies and Optimizes Cyanobacterial Biocrust Inoculum Production.

ABSTRACT: Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are globally important microbial communities inhabiting the top layer of soils. They provide multiple services to dryland ecosystems but are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance from which they naturally recover only slowly. Assisted inoculation with cyanobacteria is held as a promising approach to promote biocrust regeneration. Two different methodologies have been developed for this purpose: mass cultivation of biocrust pioneer species (such as the cyanobacteria Microcoleus spp.) on cellulose supports, and polymicrobial cultivation of biocrusts in soils within greenhouse settings. Here, we aimed to test a novel method to grow cyanobacterial biocrust inoculum based on fog irrigation of soil substrates (FISS) that can be used with e

SUBMITTER: Nelson C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7301847 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature