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Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function, and Management pp 401–415Cite as

Biological Soil Crusts and Livestock in Arid Ecosystems: Are They Compatible?

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

Abstract

Approximately 35% of the Earth’s land surface can be classified as arid or semiarid. Most plant communities in arid and semiarid areas evolved under the influence of grazing and/or browsing by native ungulates (marsupials in Australia), reaching a quasi-stable successional equilibrium based on the nature, frequency, and intensity of the various disturbance regimes to which they were naturally subjected. For example, prior to the arrival of European man, vast herds of ungulates, primarily bison, roamed the Great Plains region of North America east of the Rocky Mountains (England and DeVos 1969); ungulates were comparatively rare in the more arid regions west of the Rocky Mountains (Grayson 1993; Daubenmire 1988). The evolutionary implications of these diverse scenarios are reflected in the contemporary vascular plant and biological soil-crust communities (Mack and Thompson 1982). The Great Plains east of the Rocky Mountains are dominated by rhizomatous, sodforming grasses; biological crusts occupy only a relatively small portion of the soil surface. In contrast, lands west of the Rocky Mountains are dominated by scattered bunch grasses and shrubs; the interspaces between the vascular plants are frequently covered with well-developed biological crusts.

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Authors
  1. S. D. Warren
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  2. 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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Warren, S.D., Eldridge, D.J. (2001). Biological Soil Crusts and Livestock in Arid Ecosystems: Are They Compatible?. 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_29

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56475-8_29

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