In recent years, there has been considerable progress in determining the soil properties that
influence the structure of the soil microbiome. By contrast, the effects of microorganisms on …

Communities of soil microorganisms (soil microbiomes) play a major role in biogeochemical
cycles and support of plant growth. Here we focus primarily on the roles that the soil …

Biological soil crusts are thin, inconspicuous communities along the soil atmosphere
ecotone that, until recently, were unrecognized by ecologists and even more so by …

Speciation is a continuous process driven by genetic, geographic, and ecological barriers to
gene flow. It is widely investigated in multicellular eukaryotes, yet we are only beginning to …

The carbon cycle (C-cycle) is the most important and complex biogeochemical cycle in soil
ecosystems, but our understanding of C-cycle at the community level remains limited …

The use of cyanobacteria as soil inoculants is a very promising biotechnological approach
that is receiving increasing scientific attention for its potential for soil degradation control …

Alpha-diversity indices are an essential tool for describing and comparing biodiversity.
Microbial ecologists apply indices originally intended for, or adopted by, macroecology to …

Identifying the core taxa involved in the utilization of plant straw or/and rhizodeposits is key
to understanding the microbial mechanisms underlying the turnover of these plant-derived …

Microcoleus vaginatus plays a prominent role as both primary producer and pioneer in
biocrust communities from dryland soils. And yet, it cannot fix dinitrogen, essential in often …

Soil is the basis of agricultural production, and the quality of soil directly affects crop quality
and yield. Microalgae can carry out photosynthesis, carbon and nitrogen fixation, and …