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Biological Soil Crusts and Hydrology in North American Deserts

  • Chapter
Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function, and Management

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

Abstract

Precipitation that reaches the Earth’s surface either remains on the surface or infiltrates into the soil profile. Water remaining on the surface evaporates or runs off into bodies of water. Water that enters the soil may be stored as groundwater, may move laterally through the soil to channels, bodies of water, or springs, or maybe returned to the atmosphere through evaporation and/or transpiration. Numerous physical, biological, and chemical characteristics of the soil affect the partitioning of water between infiltration and runoff. Soil properties also govern the ultimate fate of infiltrated water and determine the erodibility of the soil when subjected to surface runoff. This chapter examines the effects of biological soil crusts on infiltration, runoff, soil moisture, and soil erosion by water in North America.

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Authors
  1. S. D. Warren
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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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Warren, S.D. (2001). Biological Soil Crusts and Hydrology in North American Deserts. 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_24

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56475-8_24

  • 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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