Biocrusts positively affect the soil water balance in semiarid ecosystems

S Chamizo, Y Cantón, E Rodríguez‐Caballero… - …, 2016 - Wiley Online Library
Biocrusts play crucial roles in hydrological processes by controlling soil water availability
and regulating water redistribution from source to sink areas. Most studies have examined …

The role of biocrusts in arid land hydrology

S Chamizo, J Belnap, DJ Eldridge, Y Cantón… - Biological soil crusts: An …, 2016 - Springer
Biocrusts exert a strong influence on hydrological processes in drylands by modifying
numerous soil properties that affect water retention and movement in soils. Yet, their role in …

Ecological mechanisms underlying aridity thresholds in global drylands

M Berdugo, B Vidiella, RV Solé… - Functional Ecology, 2022 - Wiley Online Library
With ongoing climate change, the probability of crossing environmental thresholds
promoting abrupt changes in ecosystem structure and functioning is higher than ever. In …

Soil moisture variations in response to precipitation properties and plant communities on steep gully slope on the Loess Plateau

P Zhu, G Zhang, H Wang, B Zhang, Y Liu - Agricultural Water Management, 2021 - Elsevier
The response of soil moisture to precipitation is likely greatly affected by precipitation
properties and plant communities via influencing hydrological processes linking atmosphere …

Restoring soil functions by means of cyanobacteria inoculation: importance of soil conditions and species selection

JR Román, B Roncero‐Ramos… - Land Degradation & …, 2018 - Wiley Online Library
In recent years, soil inoculation with cyanobacteria has become one of the most promising
biotechnological strategies for restoring soil functionality in degraded drylands because of …

Biocrust impacts on dryland soil water balance: A path toward the whole picture

S Li, MA Bowker, B **ao - Global Change Biology, 2022 - Wiley Online Library
As a crucial living feature inhabiting the soil–atmosphere boundary, biocrusts play a vital
role in liquid water or vapor transport through surface soil and thus have strong effects on …

Cyanobacteria and moss biocrusts increase evaporation by regulating surface soil moisture and temperature on the northern Loess Plateau, China

S Li, B **ao - Catena, 2022 - Elsevier
Soil evaporation is a three-stage process and plays a vital role in soil physical, chemical,
and biological processes, as well as global climate change. As an important living skin …

The effects of typical grass cover combined with biocrusts on slope hydrology and soil erosion during rainstorms on the Loess Plateau of China: An experimental study

C Dan, G Liu, Y Zhao, C Shu, E Shen… - Hydrological …, 2023 - Wiley Online Library
Biological soil crust (BSC), as a groundcover, is widely intergrown with grass. The effects of
grass combined with BSCs on slope hydrology and soil erosion during rainfall are still …

The ambivalent effect of biocrusts on evaporation: Can the contradictory conclusions be explained? A review

GJ Kidron, T Fischer, B **ao - Geoderma, 2022 - Elsevier
The scholarship on evaporation has yet to fully comprehend the effects of biocrusts on
evaporation. This lacuna profoundly impacts our understanding regarding the hydrological …

Water regulation in cyanobacterial biocrusts from drylands: negative impacts of anthropogenic disturbance

Y Cantón, S Chamizo, E Rodriguez-Caballero… - Water, 2020 - mdpi.com
Arid and semi-arid ecosystems are characterized by patchy vegetation and variable
resource availability. The interplant spaces of these ecosystems are very often covered by …