State of Knowledge of Biological Soil Crusts: A synthesis of work to inform land management.
Land and resource managers are increasingly interested in up-to-date information for biocrust conservation and management. To facilitate the use of evolving science by land managers, WERC scientists are compiling a synthesis of recent work on biocrusts related to their ecology and management. This knowledge will help enable managers to address biocrusts in carrying out analyses under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are a community of living organisms, including moss, lichen, and algae, that cover soils in arid and semi-arid ecosystems, and provide important ecological functions like nutrient cycling and soil stabilization. Land managers are increasingly aware of the contribution of biocrusts to ecological functions, such that community analyses consistently show negative relationships between the abundance of biocrusts and the abundance of cheatgrass. Where wildfire is the sole disturbance, many lichens do not show evidence of char, implying that lichens may play a role in hindering the establishment of cheatgrass after fire. Biocrusts also support public health by being associated with reduced dust emissions, including areas with Valley Fever. Additionally, these organisms can thrive under drought conditions and help intact ecosystems be more resilient to drought.
Research Objectives
Our objectives are to meet the needs of land managers looking to gain a greater understanding of how management actions may impact biological soil crusts as demonstrated in the existing peer-reviewed literature.
Methods
Our initial focus is on the Great Basin, Columbia Plateau and Rocky Mountain ecoregions but we are expanding outside of these regions where topics are of interest have not been addressed in our target regions. Most included studies fall within the western United States. This work will to enable resource management agencies, like the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to be strategic in prioritizing management efforts.
Using the USGS Bibliosearch tool, we conducted a broad search of literature related to biocrusts spanning the years 1990 to 2024. This has resulted in approximately 3000 published studies which have been categorized. We are in the process of summarizing key findings related to topics that meet pressing information needs of managers.
Funders
United States Bureau of Land Management
Land and resource managers are increasingly interested in up-to-date information for biocrust conservation and management. To facilitate the use of evolving science by land managers, WERC scientists are compiling a synthesis of recent work on biocrusts related to their ecology and management. This knowledge will help enable managers to address biocrusts in carrying out analyses under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are a community of living organisms, including moss, lichen, and algae, that cover soils in arid and semi-arid ecosystems, and provide important ecological functions like nutrient cycling and soil stabilization. Land managers are increasingly aware of the contribution of biocrusts to ecological functions, such that community analyses consistently show negative relationships between the abundance of biocrusts and the abundance of cheatgrass. Where wildfire is the sole disturbance, many lichens do not show evidence of char, implying that lichens may play a role in hindering the establishment of cheatgrass after fire. Biocrusts also support public health by being associated with reduced dust emissions, including areas with Valley Fever. Additionally, these organisms can thrive under drought conditions and help intact ecosystems be more resilient to drought.
Research Objectives
Our objectives are to meet the needs of land managers looking to gain a greater understanding of how management actions may impact biological soil crusts as demonstrated in the existing peer-reviewed literature.
Methods
Our initial focus is on the Great Basin, Columbia Plateau and Rocky Mountain ecoregions but we are expanding outside of these regions where topics are of interest have not been addressed in our target regions. Most included studies fall within the western United States. This work will to enable resource management agencies, like the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to be strategic in prioritizing management efforts.
Using the USGS Bibliosearch tool, we conducted a broad search of literature related to biocrusts spanning the years 1990 to 2024. This has resulted in approximately 3000 published studies which have been categorized. We are in the process of summarizing key findings related to topics that meet pressing information needs of managers.
Funders
United States Bureau of Land Management