ecological succession, hydrology and carbon acquisition of biological soil crusts measured at the micro-scale生态演替、水文、土壤采集的生物碳外壳在微尺度来衡量.pdfVIP

Ecological Succession, Hydrology and Carbon Acquisition of Biological Soil Crusts Measured at the Micro-Scale Matthew Tighe*, Rebecca E. Haling, Richard J. Flavel, Iain M. Young School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia Abstract The hydrological characteristics of biological soil crusts (BSCs) are not well understood. In particular the relationship between runoff and BSC surfaces at relatively large (.1 m2) scales is ambiguous. Further, there is a dearth of information on 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 hydrological measurements were made on intact BSCs, followed by C and C isotopic analyses. A ‘hump’ shaped relationship 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 relationships were found between hydrological variables. Hydraulic conductivity and hydrophobicity of BSCs were closely related but this association was confounded by crust type. The surface coverage of crust and the microporosity 0.5 mm below the crust surface were closely associated irrespective of crust type. The d 13C signatures of the BSCs were also related to hydrau