Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function, and Management

Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function, and Management

Author: Jayne Belnap

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-12-01

Total Pages: 496

ISBN-13: 3642564755

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In arid lands, where vegetation is sparse or absent, the open ground is not bare but generally covered by a community of small, highly specialized organisms. Cyanobacteria, algae, microfungi, lichens, and bryophytes aggregate soil particles to form a coherent skin - the biological soil crust. It stabilizes and protects the soil surface from erosion by wind and water, influences water runoff and infiltration, and contributes nitrogen and carbon to desert soils. Soil surface disturbance, such as heavy livestock grazing, human trampling or off-road vehicles, breaks up the fragile soil crust, thus compromising its stability, structure, and productivity. This book is the first synthesis of the biology of soil crusts and their importance as an ecosystem component. Composition and functioning of different soil-crust types are discussed, and case studies are used to show the impact of crusts on landscape hydrology, soil stability, nutrient cycles, and land management.


Book Synopsis Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function, and Management by : Jayne Belnap

Download or read book Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function, and Management written by Jayne Belnap and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-12-01 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In arid lands, where vegetation is sparse or absent, the open ground is not bare but generally covered by a community of small, highly specialized organisms. Cyanobacteria, algae, microfungi, lichens, and bryophytes aggregate soil particles to form a coherent skin - the biological soil crust. It stabilizes and protects the soil surface from erosion by wind and water, influences water runoff and infiltration, and contributes nitrogen and carbon to desert soils. Soil surface disturbance, such as heavy livestock grazing, human trampling or off-road vehicles, breaks up the fragile soil crust, thus compromising its stability, structure, and productivity. This book is the first synthesis of the biology of soil crusts and their importance as an ecosystem component. Composition and functioning of different soil-crust types are discussed, and case studies are used to show the impact of crusts on landscape hydrology, soil stability, nutrient cycles, and land management.


Biological Soil Crusts

Biological Soil Crusts

Author: Jayne Belnap

Publisher:

Published: 2014-09-01

Total Pages: 524

ISBN-13: 9783642564765

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Book Synopsis Biological Soil Crusts by : Jayne Belnap

Download or read book Biological Soil Crusts written by Jayne Belnap and published by . This book was released on 2014-09-01 with total page 524 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Biological Soil Crusts: An Organizing Principle in Drylands

Biological Soil Crusts: An Organizing Principle in Drylands

Author: Bettina Weber

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-05-21

Total Pages: 549

ISBN-13: 3319302140

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This volume summarizes our current understanding of biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which are omnipresent in dryland regions. Since they cover the soil surface, they influence, or even control, all surface exchange processes. Being one of the oldest terrestrial communities, biocrusts comprise a high diversity of cyanobacteria, algae, lichens and bryophytes together with uncounted bacteria, and fungi. The authors show that biocrusts are an integral part of dryland ecosystems, stabilizing soils, influencing plant germination and growth, and playing a key role in carbon, nitrogen and water cycling. Initial attempts have been made to use biocrusts as models in ecological theory. On the other hand, biocrusts are endangered by local disruptions and global change, highlighting the need for enhanced recovery methods. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the fascinating field of biocrust research, making it indispensable not only for scientists in this area, but also for land managers, policy makers, and anyone interested in the environment.


Book Synopsis Biological Soil Crusts: An Organizing Principle in Drylands by : Bettina Weber

Download or read book Biological Soil Crusts: An Organizing Principle in Drylands written by Bettina Weber and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-05-21 with total page 549 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume summarizes our current understanding of biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which are omnipresent in dryland regions. Since they cover the soil surface, they influence, or even control, all surface exchange processes. Being one of the oldest terrestrial communities, biocrusts comprise a high diversity of cyanobacteria, algae, lichens and bryophytes together with uncounted bacteria, and fungi. The authors show that biocrusts are an integral part of dryland ecosystems, stabilizing soils, influencing plant germination and growth, and playing a key role in carbon, nitrogen and water cycling. Initial attempts have been made to use biocrusts as models in ecological theory. On the other hand, biocrusts are endangered by local disruptions and global change, highlighting the need for enhanced recovery methods. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the fascinating field of biocrust research, making it indispensable not only for scientists in this area, but also for land managers, policy makers, and anyone interested in the environment.


Ecological Development and Functioning of Biological Soil Crusts After Natural and Human Disturbances

Ecological Development and Functioning of Biological Soil Crusts After Natural and Human Disturbances

Author: Vincent John Martin Noah Linus Felde

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Published: 2021-09-02

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 2889712559

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Book Synopsis Ecological Development and Functioning of Biological Soil Crusts After Natural and Human Disturbances by : Vincent John Martin Noah Linus Felde

Download or read book Ecological Development and Functioning of Biological Soil Crusts After Natural and Human Disturbances written by Vincent John Martin Noah Linus Felde and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2021-09-02 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


The Fungal Community

The Fungal Community

Author: John Dighton

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2005-05-24

Total Pages: 982

ISBN-13: 9781420027891

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The Fungal Community: Its Organization and Role in the Ecosystem, Third Edition addresses many of the questions related to the observations, characterizations, and functional attributes of fungal assemblages and their interaction with the environment and other organisms. This edition promotes awareness of the functional methods of classification over taxonomic methods, and approaches the concept of fungal communities from an ecological perspective, rather than from a fungicentric view. It has expanded to examine issues of global and local biodiversity, the problems associated with exotic species, and the debate concerning diversity and function. The third edition also focuses on current ecological discussions - diversity and function, scaling issues, disturbance, and invasive species - from a fungal perspective. In order to address these concepts, the book examines the appropriate techniques to identify fungi, calculate their abundance, determine their associations among themselves and other organisms, and measure their individual and community function. This book explains attempts to scale these measures from the microscopic cell level through local, landscape, and ecosystem levels. The totality of the ideas, methods, and results presented by the contributing authors points to the future direction of mycology.


Book Synopsis The Fungal Community by : John Dighton

Download or read book The Fungal Community written by John Dighton and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2005-05-24 with total page 982 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Fungal Community: Its Organization and Role in the Ecosystem, Third Edition addresses many of the questions related to the observations, characterizations, and functional attributes of fungal assemblages and their interaction with the environment and other organisms. This edition promotes awareness of the functional methods of classification over taxonomic methods, and approaches the concept of fungal communities from an ecological perspective, rather than from a fungicentric view. It has expanded to examine issues of global and local biodiversity, the problems associated with exotic species, and the debate concerning diversity and function. The third edition also focuses on current ecological discussions - diversity and function, scaling issues, disturbance, and invasive species - from a fungal perspective. In order to address these concepts, the book examines the appropriate techniques to identify fungi, calculate their abundance, determine their associations among themselves and other organisms, and measure their individual and community function. This book explains attempts to scale these measures from the microscopic cell level through local, landscape, and ecosystem levels. The totality of the ideas, methods, and results presented by the contributing authors points to the future direction of mycology.


The Biology of Arid Soils

The Biology of Arid Soils

Author: Blaire Steven

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2017-07-24

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 3110419149

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Soils have been called the most complex microbial ecosystems on Earth. A single gram of soil can harbor millions of microbial cells and thousands of species. However, certain soil environments, such as those experiencing dramatic change exposing new initial soils or that are limited in precipitation, limit the number of species able to survive in these systems. In this respect, these environments offer unparalleled opportunities to uncover the factors that control the development and maintenance of complex microbial ecosystems. This book collects chapters that discuss the abiotic factors that structure arid and initial soil communities as well as the diversity and structure of the biological communities in these soils from viruses to plants.


Book Synopsis The Biology of Arid Soils by : Blaire Steven

Download or read book The Biology of Arid Soils written by Blaire Steven and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2017-07-24 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soils have been called the most complex microbial ecosystems on Earth. A single gram of soil can harbor millions of microbial cells and thousands of species. However, certain soil environments, such as those experiencing dramatic change exposing new initial soils or that are limited in precipitation, limit the number of species able to survive in these systems. In this respect, these environments offer unparalleled opportunities to uncover the factors that control the development and maintenance of complex microbial ecosystems. This book collects chapters that discuss the abiotic factors that structure arid and initial soil communities as well as the diversity and structure of the biological communities in these soils from viruses to plants.


Keys to Lichens of North America

Keys to Lichens of North America

Author: Irwin M. Brodo

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2016-01-01

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13: 0300195737

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Based on the acclaimed reference Lichens of North America, this resource for the classroom, field, and laboratory presents updated and expanded keys for the identification of over 2,000 species of lichens indigenous to the continent, twice the number covered by previous keys. The book includes a glossary illustrated with photographs by Sylvia Duran Sharnoff and Stephen Sharnoff and drawings by Susan Laurie-Bourque, all from the original book. The revised keys are an indispensable identification tool for botanists, students, scientists, and enthusiasts alike.--COVER.


Book Synopsis Keys to Lichens of North America by : Irwin M. Brodo

Download or read book Keys to Lichens of North America written by Irwin M. Brodo and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2016-01-01 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on the acclaimed reference Lichens of North America, this resource for the classroom, field, and laboratory presents updated and expanded keys for the identification of over 2,000 species of lichens indigenous to the continent, twice the number covered by previous keys. The book includes a glossary illustrated with photographs by Sylvia Duran Sharnoff and Stephen Sharnoff and drawings by Susan Laurie-Bourque, all from the original book. The revised keys are an indispensable identification tool for botanists, students, scientists, and enthusiasts alike.--COVER.


Guidelines for Soil Description

Guidelines for Soil Description

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 116

ISBN-13: 9789251055212

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Soils are affected by human activities, such as industrial, municipal and agriculture, that often result in soil degradation and loss. In order to prevent soil degradation and to rehabilitate the potentials of degraded soils, reliable soil data are the most important prerequisites for the design of appropriate land-use systems and soil management practices as well as for a better understanding of the environment. The availability of reliable information on soil morphology and other characteristics obtained through examination and description of the soil in the field is essential, and the use of a common language is of prime importance. These guidelines, based on the latest internationally accepted systems and classifications, provide a complete procedure for soil description and for collecting field data. To help beginners, some explanatory notes are included as well as keys based on simple test and observations.--Publisher's description.


Book Synopsis Guidelines for Soil Description by : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Download or read book Guidelines for Soil Description written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2006 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soils are affected by human activities, such as industrial, municipal and agriculture, that often result in soil degradation and loss. In order to prevent soil degradation and to rehabilitate the potentials of degraded soils, reliable soil data are the most important prerequisites for the design of appropriate land-use systems and soil management practices as well as for a better understanding of the environment. The availability of reliable information on soil morphology and other characteristics obtained through examination and description of the soil in the field is essential, and the use of a common language is of prime importance. These guidelines, based on the latest internationally accepted systems and classifications, provide a complete procedure for soil description and for collecting field data. To help beginners, some explanatory notes are included as well as keys based on simple test and observations.--Publisher's description.


Terrestrial Cryptogams of Pinyon-juniper Woodlands in the Southwestern United States

Terrestrial Cryptogams of Pinyon-juniper Woodlands in the Southwestern United States

Author: Juanita A. R. Ladyman

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Terrestrial Cryptogams of Pinyon-juniper Woodlands in the Southwestern United States by : Juanita A. R. Ladyman

Download or read book Terrestrial Cryptogams of Pinyon-juniper Woodlands in the Southwestern United States written by Juanita A. R. Ladyman and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Rainfed Farming Systems

Rainfed Farming Systems

Author: Philip Tow

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2011-09-16

Total Pages: 1324

ISBN-13: 140209132X

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While a good grasp of the many separate aspects of agriculture is important, it is equally essential for all those involved in agriculture to understand the functioning of the farming system as a whole and how it can be best managed. It is necessary to re-assess and understand rain-fed farming systems around the world and to find ways to improve the selection, design and operation of such systems for long term productivity, profitability and sustainability. The components of the system must operate together efficiently; yet many of the relationships and interactions are not clearly understood. Appreciation of these matters and how they are affected by external influences or inputs are important for decision making and for achieving desirable outcomes for the farm as a whole. This book analyses common rain-fed farming systems and defines the principles and practices important to their effective functioning and management.


Book Synopsis Rainfed Farming Systems by : Philip Tow

Download or read book Rainfed Farming Systems written by Philip Tow and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-09-16 with total page 1324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While a good grasp of the many separate aspects of agriculture is important, it is equally essential for all those involved in agriculture to understand the functioning of the farming system as a whole and how it can be best managed. It is necessary to re-assess and understand rain-fed farming systems around the world and to find ways to improve the selection, design and operation of such systems for long term productivity, profitability and sustainability. The components of the system must operate together efficiently; yet many of the relationships and interactions are not clearly understood. Appreciation of these matters and how they are affected by external influences or inputs are important for decision making and for achieving desirable outcomes for the farm as a whole. This book analyses common rain-fed farming systems and defines the principles and practices important to their effective functioning and management.