Articles | Volume 21, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/we-21-65-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/we-21-65-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Review article
| 
13 Apr 2021
Review article |
| 13 Apr 2021
| 13 Apr 2021
Drought-tolerant cyanobacteria and mosses as biotechnological tools to attain land degradation neutrality
Alessandra Adessi
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry – DAGRI,
University of Florence, via Maragliano 77, 50144 Florence, Italy
Roberto De Philippis
Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry – DAGRI,
University of Florence, via Maragliano 77, 50144 Florence, Italy
Federico Rossi
Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics (DAIS), Cà Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venezia Mestre, Italy
Related subject area
Soil ecology
Plant clustering generates negative plant–soil feedback without changing the spatial distribution of soil fauna
Spatial heterogeneity of Cladonia rangiformis and Erica spp. induces variable effects on soil microbial communities which are most robust in bare-soil microhabitats
Identifying social–ecological gaps to promote biocrust conservation actions
Peihua Zhang, Dries Bonte, Gerlinde De Deyn, and Martijn L. Vandegehuchte
Web Ecol., 23, 1–15, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-23-1-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-23-1-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The dispersal of soil nematodes was not affected by plant spatial configurations, which mostly varied according to their life-history strategy. However, creeping bentgrass grown in a more clustered spatial configuration developed a larger aboveground biomass, which was coupled with a reduction in biomass of subsequently grown ryegrass and plantain. The negative plant–soil feedback may be attributed to the depleted soil nutrients by the stimulated plant growth due to plant–nematode interactions.
Theofilos Dostos, Pantelitsa D. Kapagianni, Nikolaos Monokrousos, George P. Stamou, and Efimia M. Papatheodorou
Web Ecol., 22, 21–31, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-22-21-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-22-21-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Biocrusts in arid and semiarid regions interact with soil microbes and plants. The knowledge of the spatial scale of the interactions adds value to crusts' use for plant and soil restoration. Soil sampling was confined to an area with Erica spp. shrubs interspaced by crust cover (Cladonia rangiformis) or uncovered at different distances from the base of the shrubs towards the periphery. The community composition and the microbial networks showed response to spatial heterogeneity.
María D. López-Rodríguez, Sonia Chamizo, Yolanda Cantón, and Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero
Web Ecol., 20, 117–132, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-20-117-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-20-117-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Biocrusts are a key component in Spanish drylands, where their ecological relevance has been widely studied. However, by doing a literature review, we found that the social dimension of their role still remains unexplored. This may hinder biocrusts and their benefits from being known and understood by the policy community and the general public. Thus, we identified social–ecological knowledge gaps and proposed new research areas that need to be addressed to advance towards biocrust conservation.
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Short summary
Biocrusts are associations among drought-tolerant organisms and are crucial for maintaining the steady state of ecosystems subjected to high environmental stresses. The elaboration of sustainable plans for their preservation, restoration, and spreading is a recent strategy to combat land degradation and desertification. This review highlights the most relevant achievements and the critical points still open for the biotechnological application of cyanobacteria and mosses to soil restoration.
Biocrusts are associations among drought-tolerant organisms and are crucial for maintaining the...
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