Ecological Succession, Hydrology and Carbon Acquisition of Biological Soil Crusts Measured at the Micro-Scale 英文参考文献.docVIP

EcologicalSuccession,HydrologyandCarbonAcquisition ofBiologicalSoilCrustsMeasuredattheMicro-Scale MatthewTighe*,RebeccaE.Haling,RichardJ.Flavel,IainM.Young SchoolofEnvironmentalandRuralScience,UniversityofNewEngland,Armidale,NewSouthWales,Australia Abstract The hydrological characteristics of biological soil crusts (BSCs) are not well understood. In particular the relationship betweenrunoffandBSCsurfacesatrelativelylarge(.1m2)scalesisambiguous.Further,thereisadearthofinformationon small scale (mm to cm) hydrological characterization of crust types which severely limits any interpretation of trends at larger scales. Site differences and broad classifications of BSCs as one soil surface type rather than into functional form exacerbate the problem. This study examines, for the first time, some hydrological characteristics and related surface variables of a range of crust types at one site and at a small scale (sub mm to mm). X-ray tomography and fine scale hydrologicalmeasurementsweremadeonintactBSCs,followedbyCandCisotopicanalyses.A‘hump’shapedrelationship was found between the successional stage/sensitivity to physical disturbance classification of BSCs and their hydrophobicity, and a similar but ‘inverse hump’ relationship exists with hydraulic conductivity. Several bivariate relationshipswerefoundbetweenhydrologicalvariables.HydraulicconductivityandhydrophobicityofBSCswereclosely relatedbutthis associationwasconfoundedby crusttype.Thesurface coverageofcrustandthemicroporosity0.5mm belowthecrustsurfacewerecloselyassociatedirrespectiveofcrusttype.Thed13CsignaturesoftheBSCswerealsorelated to hydraulic conductivity, suggesting that the hydrological characteristics of BSCs alter the chemical processes of their immediatesurroundingsviathephysiologicalresponse(Cacquisition)ofthecrustitself.Thesesmallscaleresultsillustrate the wide range of hydrological properties associated with BSCs, and suggest associations between the ecological successionalstage/functionalform