Biological soil crust, or biocrust, on dryland near Winnemucca, Nevada, on the Great Basin. The metal quadrat (a square meter) is used in surveying the functional groups of the biocrust and ...

Biological soil crusts, known as biocrusts, are lichens, algae, mosses, fungi, and cyanobacteria common on the soil surface.[i]They are critical to arid ecosystems, where they help to reduce soil ...

Scott Ferrenberg, who earned his Ph.D. in biology from CU-Boulder, is shown near Moab, Utah, where he and CU alumna Sasha Reed conducted a groundbreaking study on biocrust. Photo courtesy of Scott ...

Biological soil crusts -- or communities of microorganisms that grow on the surface of the soil when there is no plant cover -- are key in protecting the soil from erosion and providing an environment ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. In 2017, a team of scientists from Germany trekked to Chile to investigate how living organisms sculpt the face of the Earth. A local ...

Using a novel method to detect microbial activity in biological soil crusts, or biocrusts, after they are wetted, a research team in a new study uncovered clues that will lead to a better ...

In the unceasing battle against dust, humans possess a deep arsenal of weaponry, from microfiber cloths to feather dusters to vacuum cleaners. But new research suggests that none of that technology ...

New Delhi: In the desert regions of northwestern China, scientists are conducting a unique experiment. They are sprinkling soil seeds on sand to create an artificial biological soil crust. The goal is ...

This looks like ordinary dirt but it is a biological soil crust (BSC), a living mantle of soil particles bound together by microbes and their by-products. BSCs are common to the arid and semiarid ...

In 2017, a team of scientists from Germany trekked to Chile to investigate how living organisms sculpt the face of the Earth. A local ranger guided them through Pan de Azúcar, a roughly ...