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Biological Soil Crusts of Australia

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Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function, and Management

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 150))

Abstract

Biological soil crusts and their constituent organisms are common components of landscapes in semiarid and arid Australia (Chap. 1, Photos 57–59; Rogers 1982; Eldridge and Tozer 1997a). Crusts are generally restricted to rangelands, which occupy nearly three-quarters of the land area of Australia. The soils in this landscape are exceptionally old, and are generally shallow, infertile, and highly weathered. Rainfall has an overriding influence on the functioning of arid Australia (Stafford Smith and Morton 1990). Many landscapes react to discontinuities in rainfall by being strongly patterned into discrete soil and vegetation patches at a range of spatial scales (Ludwig et al. 1997). Plant and animal diversity is greatest within patches that receive extra resources (runon zones or fertile patches), and these patches ultimately become refugia for plants and animals during unfavorable times.

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Authors
  1. D. J. Eldridge
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 2290 S. Resource Blvd., Moab, Utah, 84532, USA

    Jayne Belnap

  2. Lehrstuhl für Botanik II, Universität Würzburg Julius-von-Sachs-Institut für Biowissenschaften, Julius-von-Sachs-Platz 3, 97082, Würzburg, Germany

    Otto L. Lange

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© 2001 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Eldridge, D.J. (2001). Biological Soil Crusts of Australia. In: Belnap, J., Lange, O.L. (eds) Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function, and Management. Ecological Studies, vol 150. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56475-8_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56475-8_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-43757-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-56475-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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