Investigating the Effect of Biological Crusts on Some Soil Properties

Desert growth in Iran is a major problem. A large part of the country is surrounded by vulnerable areas at risk of desertification, so that about 75% of the ecosystems of arid and semi-arid regions of the country, face the effects and consequences of desertification. Effects such as the drying up of inland lakes, sandstorms, dust and intensification of wind erosion are a clear manifestation of the growing rate of desertification in recent years in the country. In arid and semi-arid ecosystems, there is little vegetation due to lack of moisture and other adverse climatic conditions. As a result, soils are more prone to degradation, but in some of these areas, despite the lack of soil moisture, high temperatures and other unfavorable ecological conditions, the distances between plants are often covered by a community of microscopic plants, and this Communities are known as biological soil crusts. Biological soil crusts are the association of soil mineral particles with cyanobacteria, algae, fungi, lichens, or bryophytes and are common coverings in open spaces around vascular plants in arid and semi-arid regions. Biological crusts significantly affect early ecosystem processes and have been described as ecological engineers in arid regions.