Aim Soil nitrogen (N) cycling is critical to the productivity of terrestrial ecosystems. However,
the impact of global change factors (GCFs) on the microbial mediators of N cycling pathways …

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts)—communities of mosses, lichens, cyanobacteria, and
heterotrophs living at the soil surface—are fundamental components of drylands worldwide …

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 …

Biological nitrogen fixation, conducted by soil diazotrophs, is the primary nitrogen source for
natural grasslands. However, the diazotrophs in grassland soils are still far from fully …

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 …

Cyanobacteria typically colonize the surface of arid soils, building biological soil crust
(biocrusts) that provide a variety of ecosystem benefits, ranging from fertilization to …

Abstract Aims Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are widely considered critical for soil fertility in
arid ecosystems. However, how microbial communities regulate the C and N cycles during …

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are slow-growing, phototroph-based microbial assemblages
that develop on the topsoils of drylands. Biocrusts help maintain soil fertility and reduce …

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are key components of ecosystem productivity in arid lands and
they cover a substantial fraction of the terrestrial surface. In particular, BSC N2-fixation …

The successional ecology of nitrogen cycling in biocrusts and the linkages to ecosystem
processes remains unclear. To explore this, four successional stages of natural biocrust with …