Progress in the study of algae and mosses in biological soil crusts

Abstract

Algae and mosses are not only two of the familiar communities in the process of desert vegetational succession, but also have the highest biomass in biological soil crusts. Meanwhile, being the pioneer plants, algae and mosses are involved in the establishment of biological soil crusts, which have great importance in arid environments and play a major role in desert ecosystems, such as being the indicator of the vegetation type, soil-holding, preventing erosion by water and wind, and sand fixation. This paper reviews the advances in the study of algae and mosses in arid and semi-arid areas. It mainly describes the ecological functions of algae and mosses including their influences on water cycle, circulation of substances, and community succession. In addition, the relationships between algae and mosses are discussed. Finally, some suggestions are proposed for the research orientations of algae and mosses in biological soil crusts. Ecologically, algae and mosses have significant ecological importance in arid areas, especially in those areas where environmental problems are becoming increasingly serious.

Key words： algae; biological soil crusts; mosses

Acknowledgements

The project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40571085 and 30670152), the National Infrastructure of Natural Resources for Science and Technology (No. 2005DKA21403), Science and Social Practice Foundation of Graduate Students in Chinese Academy of Sciences (Investigation on Algal Distribution in Gurbantunggut Desert, Xinjiang, China)

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