Desert ecosystems are generally considered lifeless habitats characterised by extreme
environmental conditions, yet they are successfully colonised by various biocrust …

Cactaceae represents one of the most species-rich families of succulent plants native to arid
and semi-arid ecosystems, yet the associations Cacti establish with microorganisms and the …

Cyanobacteria are a key biotic component as primary producers in biocrusts, topsoil
communities that have important roles in the functioning of drylands. Yet, major knowledge …

The topsoil cyanobacteria in biological soil crusts (BSCs) play a vital role in stabilizing soil
surface of disturbed habitats in water and nutrient-poor ecosystems. Currently, artificial …

Cyanobacteria are key microbes in topsoil communities that have important roles in
preventing soil erosion, carbon and nitrogen fixation, and influencing soil hydrology …

Recent microbiome research has shown that soil fertility, plant-associated microbiome, and
crop production can be affected by abiotic environmental parameters. The effect of aridity …

Introduction Microorganisms colonize a wide range of natural and artificial environments.
Even though most of them are unculturable in laboratory conditions, some ecosystems are …

Next generation sequencing has become a popular method to identify cyanobacterial
diversity in ecosystems. Morphological identification poses challenges in deciphering …

Although desert ecosystems are commonly considered to have low carbon storage owing to
their sparse vegetation and limited carbon sequestration capacity, they comprise 13.5% of …

Autotrophs, such as cyanobacteria, algae, and prokaryotic non-cyanobacterial autotrophs,
play fundamental roles in biocrust development by adhering to soil particles and fixing CO 2 …