What us biological soil crusts?
Biological soil crusts are an understudied but integral component of rangeland vegetation in the Northern Great Plains. These cryptic communities of lycophytes, bryophytes, lichens, algae, and bacteria stabilize prairie soils, fix both carbon and nitrogen, retain soil moisture, and influence vascular plant community dynamics. The importance of biological soil crusts will be discussed in the context of common rangeland plant community types, rangeland management, soil and rangeland health.