Skin ecosystem3/21/2024 ![]() ![]() The rougher types of crust, those with more lichen elements, slow erosion while helping to retain water and nutrients for other, larger plants to grow.īiocrust communities - like “tiny coral reefs in the desert,” according to soil ecologist Matt Bowker - are also very fragile. Lichens often form a structure for the crusts and are classified by their shape, such as smooth, rugose, pinnacled or rolling. ![]() There are different kinds of biocrust, generally classified by the crust shape and the mix of organisms forming relationships within the community. Some can be incredibly old, living for up to thousands of years. Young biocrusts are almost indistinguishable from their surroundings, but mature crusts may appear dark and knobby or vibrantly colorful. Matt Bowker, a soil ecologist at Northern Arizona University, is developing a global research network that would bring together scientists from all over the world to collect their research into large datasets to better understand the crusts on a global level. “ grow slowly and once lost, lost forever.” “ are only active under certain conditions,” said Anita Antoninka, a soil ecologist at Northern Arizona University’s Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes. WATCH: Unrelenting drought leaves millions who rely on Colorado River facing an uncertain future The effects can already be seen in the Southwest, with Lake Mead at record-low levels and the entire region in a megadrought more severe than any seen in the past 1,000 years.Ī 2018 study estimated that 25 to 40 percent of Earth’s existing biocrust could disappear within 65 years. ![]() Climate scientists project temperatures will continue to warm in drylands at faster rates than in other ecosystems, and drought frequency and severity will increase more quickly. Temperatures in dryland regions have already increased and droughts have become more severe. That means the loss of this top layer - often driven by human activity, as well as by climate change - has far-reaching consequences. They help plants get necessary nutrients like nitrogen and they stabilize loose soil, protecting against erosion. Though resistant to drought, biocrusts are still “quite sensitive to climate change.” ![]()
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