Details
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 294-299 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Soil Biology and Biochemistry |
Volume | 103 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2016 |
Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are considered key players in hydrological cycles of many arid environments. The phototrophic organisms in these crusts excrete extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), which bind soil particles together, thereby stabilizing the soil surface. In a previous work, the non-invasive extraction of EPSs in biocrusts resulted in a change of their hydrological behavior. As this was suspected to be the effect of a change in their pore structure, we employed high resolution X-ray micro-tomography to investigate structural changes of biocrusts after EPS-extraction. We studied biocrusts from four different study sites in Svalbard, Germany, Israel and South Africa. Two different fractions of EPSs (tightly bound and colloidal) were extracted, using the same extraction method with two different solvents. Our results suggest that the extraction of EPSs did not result in structural differences at a resolution of 7 μm. We therefore conclude that the previously observed change in hydrological behavior is likely to be the result of a change of the physico-chemical properties of the very surface of the crust, rather than of its inner structure.
Keywords
- Biocrusts, Computed tomography, Ecological restoration, Extracellular polymeric substances, Hydrological cycles, Soil structure
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Microbiology(all)
- Microbiology
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Soil Science
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In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 103, 01.12.2016, p. 294-299.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Pore characteristics in biological soil crusts are independent of extracellular polymeric substances
AU - Felde, Vincent J.M.N.L.
AU - Rossi, Federico
AU - Colesie, Claudia
AU - Uteau-Puschmann, Daniel
AU - Horn, Rainer
AU - Felix-Henningsen, Peter
AU - De Philippis, Roberto
AU - Peth, Stephan
N1 - Funding information: We would like to acknowledge the financial support of the German Research Foundation (grant Fe218/14-2 ). VJMNLF and FR are grateful for financial support for mutual visits from the COST Action ES1104 . Thanks are due to Elke Müller and Elke Schneidenwind for conducting the texture analysis and Bettina Weber for providing the samples from the Karoo Desert. We thank Simon Berkowicz for his support during the fieldwork in the Negev and Andreas Dein for sampling permission at MEH, as well as Matthew Bowker and one anonymous reviewer for their very constructive comments.
PY - 2016/12/1
Y1 - 2016/12/1
N2 - Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are considered key players in hydrological cycles of many arid environments. The phototrophic organisms in these crusts excrete extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), which bind soil particles together, thereby stabilizing the soil surface. In a previous work, the non-invasive extraction of EPSs in biocrusts resulted in a change of their hydrological behavior. As this was suspected to be the effect of a change in their pore structure, we employed high resolution X-ray micro-tomography to investigate structural changes of biocrusts after EPS-extraction. We studied biocrusts from four different study sites in Svalbard, Germany, Israel and South Africa. Two different fractions of EPSs (tightly bound and colloidal) were extracted, using the same extraction method with two different solvents. Our results suggest that the extraction of EPSs did not result in structural differences at a resolution of 7 μm. We therefore conclude that the previously observed change in hydrological behavior is likely to be the result of a change of the physico-chemical properties of the very surface of the crust, rather than of its inner structure.
AB - Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are considered key players in hydrological cycles of many arid environments. The phototrophic organisms in these crusts excrete extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), which bind soil particles together, thereby stabilizing the soil surface. In a previous work, the non-invasive extraction of EPSs in biocrusts resulted in a change of their hydrological behavior. As this was suspected to be the effect of a change in their pore structure, we employed high resolution X-ray micro-tomography to investigate structural changes of biocrusts after EPS-extraction. We studied biocrusts from four different study sites in Svalbard, Germany, Israel and South Africa. Two different fractions of EPSs (tightly bound and colloidal) were extracted, using the same extraction method with two different solvents. Our results suggest that the extraction of EPSs did not result in structural differences at a resolution of 7 μm. We therefore conclude that the previously observed change in hydrological behavior is likely to be the result of a change of the physico-chemical properties of the very surface of the crust, rather than of its inner structure.
KW - Biocrusts
KW - Computed tomography
KW - Ecological restoration
KW - Extracellular polymeric substances
KW - Hydrological cycles
KW - Soil structure
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84987623670&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.08.029
DO - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.08.029
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84987623670
VL - 103
SP - 294
EP - 299
JO - Soil Biology and Biochemistry
JF - Soil Biology and Biochemistry
SN - 0038-0717
ER -