Structure and reactivity of a biological soil crust from a xeric sandy soil in Central Europe
The investigation was designed to explore the structure, composition and activity of a biological soil crust on an acidic, sandy soil from a temperate climate. The crust covers several hundreds of square meters on the hilltop of a large terminal moraine. The conjugate alga <i>Zygogonium ericet...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Universität Potsdam
2004
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-5872 http://opus.kobv.de/ubp/volltexte/2005/587/ |
| Summary: | The investigation was designed to explore the structure, composition and activity of a biological soil crust on an acidic, sandy soil from a temperate climate. The crust covers several hundreds of square meters on the hilltop of a large terminal moraine. The conjugate alga <i>Zygogonium ericetorum</i> forms the essential matrix for the crust, a dense web of algal filaments with interspersed lichens and mosses. The crust is composed of three layers, with an uppermost layer consisting nearly entirely of a dense algal mat. In lower layers, a parasitic fungus, penetrating the algal cells, is another important component of the crust community. In this soil crust, photosynthetic and respiratory activity is stabilized at low water activities. |
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