Geodermatophilia

Adventures with a straw checkerboard paving robot

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:41:00 +0000

Adventures with a straw checkerboard paving robot

I saw this on improbable research, now I can't stop thinking about the Curiosity rover making lines of straw on Mars.

Cryptobiotic Soils and Lichens of Joshua Tree National Park - Date Book

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:33:00 +0000

Cryptobiotic Soils and Lichens of Joshua Tree National Park - Date Book

Link to a short field course at Joshua Tree National Park taught by Nicole Pietrasiak and Kerry Knudsen.

Biological Soil Crust Secrets Uncovered « Berkeley Lab News Center

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:16:00 +0000

Biological Soil Crust Secrets Uncovered « Berkeley Lab News Center

This paper about the gene expression events in wet-up and dry-down events in Microcoleus vaginatus crusts is currently making the rounds in the science press. I may write up a more in depth summary of this soon....so stay tuned. Also, I will have four authors of this work: Aindrila Muktopadhyay, Trent Northen, Ferran Garcia-Pichel and Eoin Brodie speaking in September in Flagstaff, in a special session in the Biennial Conference for Research on the Colorado Plateau. Please attend if you are in the neighborhood, these guys are all good.

I love this pic of Trent. It reminds me of a before photo of a Dr. Jeckyll-Mr. Hyde transformation. Or maybe that he's noticing a resemblance between a Microcoleus culture and a cold refreshing Mountain Dew. (Just teasing, Trent. Serious congrats on a great paper!)

links:
Phys.org
Science Daily

original paper in ISME

The web presence of the biocrust research community: a request for participation and ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:54:00 +0000

It seems to me that right now, we are seeing an unprecedented interest in the science of biological soil crusts. There are more and more of us in more places conducting this research. Nevertheless, our field is still young and at this moment all of us are more like allies than competitors. We do what we do because we think it is important, fascinating and under appreciated and for the most part we are happy to see another succeed in the same area. In my opinion, we should channel this energy to coordinate our web presence as a research community. I think this can only benefit us as our science becomes "mainstream". I argue below for the value of blogging, online forums, researcher directories, and dynamic bibliographies.

Why not just build a really good static website like soil crust.org? Well, first, there already are more than one static site that are good. In addition to these good existing sites, we also need a dynamic platform with content that changes daily, and a mechanism for two-way talking (comment boxes). So we are talking about something dynamic and interactive. We are in a rapidly growing field and stuff changes all the time. I think of a good static website and a good dynamic website as complementary, especially if they are cross-linked in a prominent location (for example, here I link soil crust.org on my top bar), which recognizes it as a sister site. What do others think?

So what web resources do we need?

1. A platform for non-technical dissemination of our work. I think that blogs are here to stay for a while and are a logical medium for this. Scientists has a very serious communication problem with people that aren't also scientists. Science blogging is emerging as a real, impactful medium to communicate science. It doesn't replace technical publications in journals, but complements it very well. Many journals now have excellent blogs written by the editors. There are aggregators which collect and repost blog entries about scientific research. This blog you are reading gets about 50-100 page views per day. Now, that is not exactly viral. BUT, that rate of viewing absolutely shatters the rate of traffic my actual papers get. This is an emerging element of scientific impact that we should take part in. Usually governments fund our research with revenue derived from taxes. People that pay the taxes deserve to be able to read about the science that gets funded if they wish to.

Let me illustrate the significance of communicating with non-scientists. Recently Alan Savory did a TED talk promoting his high-intensity rotational grazing method as a way to reverse desertification and climate change. His talk was simple, compelling, and easy to understand. Alot of intelligent people asked me what I thought about this "great" talk. The truth is it was unsubstantiated by data and evidence, plagued by logical flaws, completely wrong in my opinion, and maybe dangerous. He actually refers to "algal crusts" as a symptom of a cancer of the land. He got over 1 million hits, and miseducated about that number of people in my opinion.

How can we counter that? We probably can't now in that particular case, unless we get Jayne to do a TED talk, but it speaks to a need for us to create and disseminate freely available and understandable interpretation of good science and data on a regular basis. We can't complain that people are only picking up bad information if we don't put out good information that a non-professional can read.

The other nice thing about a base blog platform is that comments can be left on posts for anyone to read. This is a good space for researchers to discuss the topic of whatever a given post is about. Also it's a way to interact with members of the general public with an interest in biocrust science.

2. A networking resource. I suggest that a group forum that is viewable to the general public is the best platform for us to communicate freely with each other (see above and below). I currently have one embedded in this blog. Its new. Follow the link "Geodermatophilia Forum" above in the top bar or here. Anyone can select a topic of their choice, and leave a comment. You do not have to have a special account or anything. You will recall list-serves and probably still use some. That is a 20 year old technology, a forum is better.

3. An online, comprehensive biocrust bibliography that can be updated. Scott Bates, Jayne Belnap, Nichole Barger & I have all talked about some form of this at various times. Different people have somewhat different visions, but we all recognize how useful this would be. There is a static one on soilcrust.org, but it needs an update and maybe a format change which Jayne spoke about at BIOCRUST 2013 in Madrid.

Here's another related idea. Wouldn't it be great if not only were this a bibliography, but a massive shared, searchable collection of pdfs. Maybe Mendeley is the platform? How can we do this, what ideas do people have and how will we accomplish it? This is a great topic for discussion on the forum.

4. A biocrust researcher directory. Currently I have a shoddy version on the right sidebar of this blog. It is not comprehensive, it is just what I had time to piece together. I can envision a standalone page where each researcher has a little bio, contact information, maybe a picture, and a set of links to their other pages if available. Are there other ideas? Leave them on the forum.

5. I dont know. What else do we need, web-wise? Let's discuss it here.

Why a blog rather than, e.g., twitter, facebook?
Twitter & facebook are great ways to quickly share small snippets of information with lots of people. A blog can do this too, but in addition, a blog is a more complete platform for collecting and listing links and short articles. Also, this blog contains simple buttons at the bottom of each post that allows you to share posts on twitter or facebook. The posts here automatically aggregate to two science blog aggregators, Scienceseeker.org & natureblognetwork.com. With a couple extra steps, posts about published papers can also be published on my personal favorite researchblogging.com. Take a minute and look at these sites, don't you agree that this is a great way to get information out on the web?

When I established the blog you are reading, I did not envision it as "my" blog, I envisioned it as our networking resource. The only way this can actually work is for people to participate and engage.

Ways to participate in this website (listed from most active to passive):
1. Be a poster. Write on this blog. A post can be as simple as a tweet, e.g. sharing a link, that costs seconds or an in-depth piece that might require hours. All you need to do is tell me that you want to post, and I will get you set up and you can post as little or as much as you want. Not only can this help disseminate information to the public, but it can help you direct readers to your own work and establish you as a voice to listen to on the topic of biocrusts. So, it's a fun way to spend free time (i.e. a hobby) that can also promote your career. I enjoy bicycling too, but that doesn't promote my science, so I think this is a good deal.

What should you post?

Here's some ideas to get started: a. Share your photos, b. Discuss a paper or news story, c. Update us on your lab activities, d. Cross-post from your other blogs or lab webpage, e. advertise for jobs, books, conferences either in the blog page or the forum, f. review equipment or sell used equipment, g. promote and summarize your recent research, h. post radio or video pieces that you run across relevant to arid lands, crusts, dust, j. find a collaborator or partner on a proposal, k. post a link to your archived data, etc., l. post course plans or curricula for class activities involving biocrusts. m. write a tribute post about a prominent biocrust researcher that is retiring.

2a. Leave comments on blog posts. Commenting on blog posts leads to public conversations and discussions that can be insightful.

2b. Leave messages on the forum. For example, you can: a. enlist help from the crust community (e.g. "Someone please tell me the best way to measure Chlorophyll a using a Synergy HT plate reader", "How can I distinguish Fulgensia species in the field?", etc.)j. b. find a collaborator or partner on a proposal, c. post a link to your archived data, etc.

3. Share things that ought to be posted or linked with a poster. The poster, with minimal effort can share it.

4a. If you are a biocrust researcher & you have some form of website, check to be sure you are in the researcher directory to the right. Make sure the best possible link is used, otherwise give me the information to change it.

4b. If you maintain a website, please consider linking this one. The more links, the higher the site in Google.

5. If you like a post, share it using Facebook, Twitter, Google + other social media. At the bottom of each post there are buttons that allow you to do so easily - just push and enter login details. Also simply tell people about the site.

6. "Follow" the blog, using your google ID. When you log into google all new posts of the blogs you follow will come up. If you use a blog reader, any new posts will automatically be forwarded there (it's like friending someone in Facebook). Also it is a visible "vote" that you like the content of this webpage, this encourages other to do so also.

7. Bookmark the blog & visit often. Traffic follows traffic, the simplest and most passive way to promote a biocrust website is to visit and read it.

OK, that's my pitch and it is especially focused on younger researchers (grad students, post-docs, new professors and the like).

In summary please: Tell me if you want to post on the blog (you can tell me via email, the forum, or the comment box below). Use the forum to communicate your ideas about our community web presence.

New! Forum is up and running

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 15:53:00 +0000

Look up at the top banner on this page, there are now multiple pages, one of which is labeled "Geodermatophilia forum". Follow that link or this one to the forum. Bookmark it.

This is a place where anyone can leave a comment or announcement. This is a distinct tool from the comment boxes at the bottom of posts because any topic can be discussed at any time (not just the most current blog post, and because its more conducive for reader-to-reader communications rather than poster to reader communication. AND, it is organizable into threads or topics.

Examples (not at all exhaustive) of good usage of this forum:
1. Back & forth discussion of threads
2. Advertise positions in your lab
3. Seek or give advise about taxonomy, methods, equipment, etc
4. If you are a member of the general public, ask a general question of the experts.

It won't have any value unless people use it, so please use it. It might require a little extra effort at first.

Taylor & Francis Online :: Responses of Microalgal-Microbial Biomass and Enzyme Activities of Biological Soil Crusts to Moisture and Inoculated Microcoleus vaginatus Gradients - Arid Land Research and Management - Volume 27, Issue 3

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:49:00 +0000

Taylor & Francis Online :: Responses of Microalgal-Microbial Biomass and Enzyme Activities of Biological Soil Crusts to Moisture and Inoculated Microcoleus vaginatus Gradients - Arid Land Research and Management - Volume 27, Issue 3

The Zombie Mosses Rise from Beneath a Glacier

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 15:06:00 +0000

This is a pretty nice blog post from bryology post-doc Jessica Budke on the amazing regrowth of centuries-old mosses from under a retreating glacier that was in the news recently. She includes some nice links to press and radio interviews.

The Zombie Mosses Rise from Beneath a Glacier

The influence of environmental factors on biological soil crust: from a community perspective to a species level approach ConcostrinaZubiri 2013 Journal of Vegetation Science Wiley Online Library

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:38:00 +0000

The influence of environmental factors on biological soil crust: from a community perspective to a species level approach ConcostrinaZubiri 2013 Journal of Vegetation Science Wiley Online Library

In crust we trust

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 03:59:00 +0000

Sighted by Anita Antoninka. The crust message is getting out there. I wonder who Frank is.

Fall 2013 Biocrust symposium in Flagstaff, Arizona

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:49:00 +0000

There have been alot of events lately promoting biocrust science. Three years ago the first international biocrust conference was held in Germany. Two years ago, there was a biocrust symposium at the Biennial Conference for research on the Colorado Plateau. Last Spring there were two such sessions here and here at The European Geosciences Union in Vienna. Last Summer, there was a special session at the Ecological Society of America Meeting in Portland which resulted in a special issue in the journal Ecological Processes. And in less than a week the second international biocrust meeting will kick off in Madrid. I'd like to continue this drumbeat by contributing another Fall Symposium in Flagstaff, Arizona. My draft speaker list and the topics are below, when final I will post all the titles and abstracts here. Although I've only got 16 symposium spots, I'd like to encourage all regional biocrust enthusiasts and researchers to attend or submit a talk or poster to the general conference...the more the merrier.

The Biennial Conference for Research on the Colorado Plateau is coming up September 16 - 19 in Flagstaff, Arizona. Kyle Doherty and I are co-organizing a symposium on biological crusts, which will occur on Wednesday (17th).

This is a very fun regional conference well attended by university and agency scientists, and many land managers as well.

conference website - http://nau.edu/merriam-powell/biennial-conference/

I tend to believe that the Colorado Plateau is one of the crust capitols of the world, due to its highly visible and charismatic biocrusts, and due to the relatively large number of researchers studying this topic. This will be the third such session at this conference, the most recent being two years ago. Two years ago (read about it here http://geodermatophilia.blogspot.com/2011/10/its-finally-on-colorado-plateau.html and here
http://biocrust.posterous.com/ we had a great lineup of talks on all topics biocrusty, with crust researchers in attendance representing Arizona, Utah, California, Colorado, Colombia, China and Catalunya. The session was packed, especially early, and well-attended by agency personnel who are keen to learn about biocrusts. In the late afternoon, we had our own private poster session, and a lovely night out featuring good beer, wine and bluegrass. It was great fun, and we'd like to continue the tradition. In addition to this biocrust session, Jayne Belnap will also be organizing a session on dust which will be of interest to many (myself included).

Biennial Conference for Research on the Colorado Plateau, Flagstaff, AZ, September 16-19 2013

Proposal for Symposium

Length: 4 hours

Title: Biological Soil Crusts: Response to climate change and utility in ecological restoration

Justification: Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are the protective skin of the earth creating soil stability, building and maintaining soil fertility and influencing hydrology. Ecosystem functions of biocrusts operate from microscopic to landscape scales. They are one of the most informative indicators of terrestrial ecosystem health in the Colorado Plateau region. We wish to continue an incipient tradition of biocrust-themed sessions at the Biennial conference.

This special session is designed to bring together researchers from multiple western states working on two focal aspects of biocrust research. The session will focus on: 1. Responses of biocrusts to climate change and ecosystem consequences, and 2. Ecological restoration of biocrusts, theory and technology, 3. Biocrust genomics, metabolomics and microbial ecology. Speakers will be asked to tailor their talks to both a scientific and natural resource management audience. This session will complement a distinct session on the dust cycle the following day.

Expected outcomes: This session will give regional biocrust researchers the opportunity to disseminate their research and its relevance to resource management professionals. We will outreach also to alternative energy and military representative, two groups which may have special interest in biocrust restoration technologies. Equally important, especially for early career researchers, is the opportunity to network and meet peers. Multiple graduate students, post-docs and other early career researchers have been invited to participate. Symposia such as these lead to friendships, collaborations, research proposals, and more research conducted on these integral components of Colorado Plateau ecology.

Available funding: None has been secured. Speakers are being asked, to travel at their own expense.

Confirmed speakers (topics are tentative)
Sasha Reed - Effects of altered climate of biocrust dominated ecosystems
Anita Antoninka – Determining how best to deploy biocrust inoculum for restoration
Deb Neher – Climate change effects on biocrust fauna
Kyle Doherty – Development of a biocrust moss inoculum for restoration purposes
Jayne Belnap – Review of Chinese language studies of biocrust restoration
Matthew Bowker – 8 years of biocust succession and recovery after nutrient supplements
Eva Dettweiler- Robinson - The Contribution of Biological Soil Crust Carbon and Nitrogen Exchange to the Net Ecosystem Exchange Along an Elevation Gradient
Anny Chung- TBD
Ferran Garcia-Pichel or grad student- TBD
Trent Northen –TBD
Zachary Aanderud – Evaluating Post-Fire Recovery of Biocrusts and Ecosystem Services
Eoin Brodie –
Cheryl Kuske -
Lindsay Chiquoine – update on restoration of gypsum communities
Aindrila Mukhopadhyay -

Possible speakers (pending funds & lifting of federal travel restrictions)
Kirsten Coe
Nichole Barger

Co-Organizers:
Dr. Matthew Bowker, School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, 200 E Pine Knoll Drive, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011. Matthew.bowker@nau.edu

Kyle Doherty, Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Box 5640, Flagstaff, AZ 86011. Kd498@nau,edu.

Trent Northen, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, One Cyclotron Road , Mailstop: 84R0171, Berkeley, CA 94720, trnorthen@lbl.gov

Call for photos: global soil biodiversity atlas

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 21:43:00 +0000

Dear fellow biocrust fans...this is something that we should all attempt. It would be a shame if soil crusts were not well represented here.

New paper on Antarctic biocrusts

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:17:00 +0000

Biological soil crusts in continental Antarctica: Garwood Valley, southern Victoria Land, and Diamond Hill, Darwin Mountains region

Claudia Colesie, Maxime Gommeaux, T.G. Allan Green and Burkhard Büdel
Antarctic Science, http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=8925976

Name this organism!

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 16:58:00 +0000

This turned up in Kyle Doherty's biocrust moss cultures (more on this another time). It's a volunteer. We have not had a look microscopically but I'm guessing a cyanobacterium that was growing on the moss leaf when the culture was started. Its obviously filamentous, maybe one of the Microcoleus species. I guess it could be an alga. The interesting this is this vertical growth habit and the curly pig-tail spires. You don't see something like this happening in crusts out in the field.

Please tell us what you think it might be in the comment box.

The New Testament is on it's way

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 21:29:00 +0000

Remember this thing? Hopefully every biocrust enthusiast has one on their shelves. Mine is signed by Jayne, and I need to remember to bring it to Spain to collect autographs of Otto Lange and all the other contributors. Of course there were plenty of seminal papers and some pretty good reviews before, but this book (1st edition 2001) has become such a valuable one stop shopping source for crust information that many people have taken to referring to it as the crust bible.

Well, alot has happened since this publication. First, there's just more biocrust researchers which has alot to do with the publication of the crust bible. The subject matter of crust research has changed, for example we are now seeing biocrusts used as model organisms in ecology and more and more climate change research, and we are seeing more and more work on ecological restoration. The geography of the biocrust research community has shifted also. At the time this book was written, biocrust researchers were primarily based in the US, Germany, Israel, and Australia. Now, I think its fair to say that China accounts for at least half if not more of the biocrust research production. Also the emergence of biocrust research in Spain has also been impactful, and a sizable group based in France is also notable. Basically, many more people in many more places are contributing to the biocrust knowledge base. This is undeniably a good thing, but it means that the crust bible is a bit out of date. It needs and update, but more than that.....a sequel. A New Testament!

While there will be several contributors in common, the new book seems to be a bit of a youth movement. Some of the students of the original authors will contribute, in additional to several new contributors. Below is an outline as it stands now. I love the title. To me there seems to be a thinly veiled message: this is an extremely important thing that most of you desert scientists are not noticing, look down once in a while (eyes rolling).

Ecological Studies

Biological Soil Crusts: An Organizing Principle in Drylands

Ed. by B. Weber, B. Büdel and J. Belnap

Table of Contents

Part I: Introduction

1 Biological soil crusts as a critical zone of global importance (J. Belnap, <jayne_belnap@usgs.gov>)

In this chapter, the concept of biocrusts as the critical zone in drylands will be presented. As these communities cover the soil surface in these regions, they mediate almost all materials entering and leaving the soil, thereby influencing most ecosystem processes including, hydrology, erosion protection, nutrient cycling, vascular plant nutrition and community composition. Their role in ecosystem services will be introduced in this opening chapter.

2 How biological soil crusts became studied as a community (O.L. Lange, <ollange@botanik.uni-wuerzburg.de>)

In this chapter, Professor Lange will describe the history of the first research on biocrusts: the recognition of the organisms as a community, the people who studied them and the techniques utilized.

Part II: Morphology, composition, and distribution of biological soil crusts at different scales

3 Fossil crusts: (H. Beraldi, <hberaldi@unam.mx>)

Biological soil crusts and their components have been identified as fossils from a wide range of rock types found in different parts of the world. In this chapter, these fossil findings will be described and their implications for the evolution of biocrusts and their components will be discussed.

4 Cyanobacteria and algae within biological soil crusts (B. Büdel, <buedel@rhrk.uni-kl.de>)

The diversity and functional roles of cyanobacteria and algae within biocrusts of different (climatic) regions will be described in this chapter. Reasons for variation and stability of taxonomic composition, as well as present and future determination methods will be discussed.

5 Fungi and bacteria within biological soil crusts (M. Grube, <martin.grube@uni-graz.at>)

Description of the diversity and functional roles of fungi and bacteria within biocrusts of different types and (climatic) regions. Present and future methods of determination methods will be discussed.

6 Bryophytes within biological soil crusts (H. Kürschner, <kuersch@zedat.fu-berlin.de>)

The diversity and functional roles of biocrust bryophytes in different habitats (soils, climate, vegetation type) will be described in this chapter. Advantages of a molecular approach in bryophyte identification will be discussed.

7 Lichens within biological soil crusts (M. Westberg, <Martin.Westberg@nrm.se>)

Description of the diversity and functional roles of biocrust lichens from different habitats (soils, climate, vegetation type). Advantages of molecular as compared to classical morphological identifcation methods will be discussed.

8 Microfauna within biological soil crusts (B. Darby, <brian.darby@UND.edu>)

Biocrusts are known to constitute an important habitat for microfauna such as nematodes, collembola, mites, springtails and snails. The diversity and potential functional roles of microfauna within biocrusts of different habitats will be described in this chapter.

9 Composition and structure of biological soil crusts (B. Büdel, <buedel@rhrk.uni-kl.de>)

The composition of biocrusts, comprising the organisms described in chapters 5 to 9, is influenced by climatic, pedogenic and successional parameters. This organism composition, but also macro- and microclimatic conditions as well as landuse patterns are known to influence the external morphology of biocrusts. The variation of biocrust composition and morphology and the resulting effects on ecosystem function will be described.

10 Controls on distribution patterns of biological soil crusts at the micro-, macro-, and global scale (M.A. Bowker, <Matthew.Bowker@nau.edu>)

Distribution patterns of biological soil crusts are determined by a variety of different abiotic factors, such as soil structure and chemistry, vegetation, and climate conditions. Distribution patterns will analyzed and described at different scales.

11 Long-term studies on different types of biological soil crusts (J. Belnap, <jayne_belnap@usgs.gov>)

Biocrusts and their components have been monitored at multiple sites for five to twenty years. Their growth, distribution patterns, and response to climate and vegetation changes give important insights into the long-term stability, development and structure of biocrusts.

12 Remote sensing of biological soil crusts at different scales (B. Weber, <b.weber@mpic.de>)

Imaging spectroscopy methods have been utilized to classify biocrusts within different types of remote sensing imagery. Aside from the classification of biocrusts at the macroscale, imaging spectroscopy has been used to differentiate between different types of biocrusts and also different land use intensities have been differentiated by means of remote sensing techniques.

Part III: Functional roles of biological soil crusts

13 Microstructure and weathering processes within biological soil crusts (F. Garcia-Pichel, <ferran@asu.edu>)

Biological soil crust organisms have been shown to influence the microstructure of the soil and cause weathering processes within the upper soil matrix. These processes, depending on the type of biocrust organisms present, as well as the initial soil composition and structure, will be described in this chapter.

14 Nitrogen cycling of biological soil crusts at micro- macro-, and global scales (N. Barger, <Nichole.Barger@Colorado.EDU>)

Many cyanobacteria and cyanobacterial lichens in biocrusts fix atmospheric nitrogen. This newly fixed nitrogen has three pathways: some is nitrified or denitrified within the biological soil crust, some is leached into underlying soils, and a third part is released into the atmosphere as NO and N₂O. The different sinks of biocrusts have been shown to differ among them, depending on the N-content of the soil, temperature, soil texture and water status. New studies at the global, ecosystem and micro-scales will be presented. Future research methods and questions regarding this highly relevant field of research will also be analyzed.

15 Carbon budgets of biological soil crusts at micro- macro-, and global scales (L. Sancho, <sancholg@farm.ucm.es>)

During the last few years there have been several long-term studies determining the C-budget of biocrusts at the micro- and the mesoscale. These investigations have been conducted at sites within different climatic regions and on several continents. Synthesizing these data promises a big step towards more precise calculations of long-term nutrient fluxes. Apart from these field studies, a global modelling analysis of C-fixation accomplished by biocrusts will be presented in this chapter.

16 Biological soil crusts as soil stabilizers (J. Belnap, <jayne_belnap@usgs.gov>)

Where the biomass of biocrusts is sufficient, they stabilize soils, decreasing both wind and water erosion. They also capture dust, which contains nutrients. Thus, in addition to fixing nitrogen (Chap 14) and carbon (Chap 15) they influence soil fertility in other ways

17 Effects of biological soil crusts on arid land hydrology (S. Chamizo, <scd394@ual.es>)

Biological soil crusts are well-known to affect soil hydrology of arid lands in a complex and non-uniform manner. The effect of biocrusts on infiltration and runoff appear dependent on crust composition, external morphology, soils, site characteristics (e.g., slope), vegetative cover, and macroclimatic conditions. During the last decade, there have been many new insights, which will be presented here.

18 Response of biological soil crust organisms to light, temperature, and water conditions (T.G.A. Green, <greentga@waikato.ac.nz>)

Biocrusts consist of poikilohydric organisms, which passively outlast dry conditions to resurrect again upon favourable water conditions. During the last years they have been shown to adapt to varying light, water and temperature conditions within their environment. Their ability to adapt seems to depend on the overall plasticity of individual crust organisms. The great variability in adaptation potential of different crust organisms will be discussed here.

Part IV: Interactions between biological soil crusts and vascular plants

19 Interactions of biological soil crusts with vascular plants (Y. Zhang, <zhangym@ms.xjb.ac.cn>)

Whereas a nutrient transfer between biocrusts and vascular plants has been assumed in many studies, evidence proving this has only recently been obtained. Several studies have now shown that both C and N can be moved from biocrusts to plants and from plants to biocrusts via fungal hyphae.

Aside from this nutrient transfer, biocrusts have been shown to affect seed retention, germination and plant emergence of vascular plants. Plants adapted to biological soil crust habitats were observed to have smooth seeds (thus lacking appendages), which may facilitate their ability to slip into cracks in the biocrusts. Thus, biological soil crusts have a profound impact on plant structure and communities within arid environments.

20 Biological soil crusts as model to study plant interactions and functional roles (F. Maestre, <fernando.maestre@urjc.es>)

In this chapter, the authors explore how biocrusts of deserts and many other ecosystems may serve as a useful model system for studying multiple questions of interest in community and ecosystem ecology, including biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships, the interplay between positive and negative interactions along environmental gradients, the source-sink hydrological dynamics in drylands, and the role of attributes of biotic communities as modulators of ecosystem responses to global environmental change. To illustrate their views, they synthesize recent and ongoing studies. They complete the synthesis of the studies conducted so far with recommendations for promoting the use of biocrusts by community and ecosystem ecologists, and with a list of priorities for future research on this topic.

Part V: Threats to biological soil crusts

21 Effects of surface disturbance on biological soil crusts (E. Zaady, <zaadye@volcani.agri.gov.il>)

Surface disturbances (e.g., mechanical disturbance, herbicides, fire) all can have severe effects on biological soil crust composition and its physiological activity. Studies of these effects will be discussed in this chapter.

Herbicides, functioning as photosynthesis inhibitors, have been shown to kill cyanobacteria and soil algae, resulting in a decrease in polysaccharide production and biomass. This, in turn, can lead to a reduction in organic matter and increased soil and nutrient loss through erosion. The detrimental effects of herbicides on biocrusts will be investigated on different time-scales within this chapter.

22 Effects of climate change on biological soil crusts (S. Reed, <screed@usgs.gov>)

The effects of climate change on biological soil crusts are expected to be complex. An increase in temperature will reduce soil moisture, especially at the soil surface. Future changes in precipitation amount and patterns will vary between different regions. In areas with fewer precipitation events and lower total amounts of rainfall, biological soil crust coverage is expected to decrease and composition is predicted to shift towards more early-successional biocrust types. As most processes (e.g., nitrogen and carbon fixation) are temperature and moisture dependent, these will be affected as well. On the other hand, arid and semi-arid regions are known to expand and the increased melting rate of glaciers exposes bare soil surfaces, which serve as an ideal habitat for biocrusts to colonize. Thus, the effects of climate change on biocrusts are expected to be variable.

Part VI: Natural and Enhanced Recovery and Management

23 Natural recovery of biological soil crusts after disturbance (B. Weber, <b.weber@mpic.de>)

Natural recovery of biological soil crusts after disturbance has been studied both in descriptive and experimental studies. Whereas many investigations have shown that biocrusts need decades, if not centuries, to completely recover after disturbance, other studies reveal that biocrusts show significant recovery after only a few years. In this chapter, we will examine the data to find the factors (e.g., crust composition, soil, climate, disturbance type) that predict recovery rates.

24 Enhanced recovery of biological soil crusts after disturbance (Y. Zhao, <zyunge@ms.iswc.ac.cn>)

Different methods to enhance biological soil crust recovery after disturbance have been experimentally investigated. These have included stabilization of the soil surface with polyacrylamide gels, inoculation of disturbed sites with cyanobacterial cultures or field-collected material, and shade structures. These efforts have been differentially successful, and factors leading to success will be discussed.

Part VII: Future Research on biological soil crusts

25 Synthesis on biological soil crust research (B. Weber, <b.weber@mpic.de>)

In the final synthesis chapter, we will summarize the essential new findings regarding the different topics of biocrusts. Additionally, we will identify knowledge gaps and promising new fields of research. We will call for unified approaches to biocrust research and linking of researchers and sites in order to answer pressing questions.

Bryophyte-cyanobacteria associations as regulators of the northern latitude carbon balance in response to global change Global Change Biology

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Fri, 31 May 2013 15:05:00 +0000

Bryophytecyanobacteria associations as regulators of the northern latitude carbon balance in response to global change Lindo Global Change Biology Wiley Online Library

Maestre Lab: A paper from the Maestre lab has received a F1000P...

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Wed, 29 May 2013 15:05:00 +0000

Congratulations to Cristina Escolar, who lead authored the paper

Warming reduces the growth and diversity of biological soil crusts in a semi-arid environment: implications for ecosystem structure and functioning

in the oldest biology journal in the world. It has been recommended by Dr. Eric Post of Faculty of 1000. Read about it below:

Maestre Lab: A paper from the Maestre lab has received a F1000P...: We are very happy to share that the first paper from Cristina Escolar´s PhD ( Warming reduces the growth and diversity of biological...

Bryophytes Frozen Under a Glacier for 400 Years Can Come Back to Life | Surprising Science

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Tue, 28 May 2013 15:15:00 +0000

This one's making the science news rounds...

Plants Frozen Under a Glacier for 400 Years Can Come Back to Life | Surprising Science

La Farge C, Williams KH, England JH. 2013. Regeneration of little Ice Age bryophytes emerging from a polar glacier with implications of totipotency in extreme environments, PNAS dpi:10.1073/pnas1304199110.

BIOCRUST 2013 - final schedule, list of speakers, useful inks

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Mon, 27 May 2013 18:14:00 +0000

Aranjuez experimental station, site of the field trip during the BIOCRUST 2013 meeting in Madrid.

Abstracts: http://sdrv.ms/13Yp6hr
Detailed program of oral communications: http://sdrv.ms/13YpdJX
List of posters: http://sdrv.ms/13YpkoY
Field guide of the Aranjuez Experimental Station (http://maestrelab.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/the-aranjuez-experimental-station.html)
pdf version here (http://sdrv.ms/13YplJF).

Ecological Processes paper collection on biocrusts

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Sun, 26 May 2013 15:54:00 +0000

There's so much crust news I can't possibly keep up with posting. This is one I should have addressed weeks ago. Bettina Weber and Jayne Belnap organized a crust session on biocrusts in last summer's Ecological Society of America Meeting in Portland, all authors were asked to contribute to this special issue (or paper collection, the open-access version). Some of the talks turned into papers, and other contributors were invited to fill in the gaps. It's an eclectic and high quality collection that is truly international.

Ecological Processes is a new Springer open access journal. All papers are free! Follow the links below to read the papers or download pdf's. Also, check back, I believe more papers are coming.

Biological soil crusts: their diversity, functional ecology and management.

Edited by: Dr Jayne Belnap, Dr Bettina Weber It has only recently been recognized that biological soil crusts (BSC) are a critical component of dryland ecosystems, contributing to the diversity, functionality and nutrient cycling of these regions worldwide. Formed by cyanobacteria, algae, lichens, fungi and bacteria in varying proportions, BSC grow within the uppermost millimeters of the soil, fulfilling a variety of ecosystem services. With their filaments BSC organisms glue together soil particles, thus effectively preventing erosion by both wind and water. BSC organisms in general and nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria in particular, add nutrients to nutrient-poor desert soils, thus promoting the establishment and growth of vascular plants. Their relevance and impact on global carbon and nitrogen cycles is just starting to be considered. During the last decade, studies on BSC have intensified and diversified, creating a unique and growing research community.Collection published: 23 February 2013Last updated: 16 May 2013
Belnap J, Weber B- Biological soil crusts as an integral component of desert environments.
Marusenko Y, Bates S, Anderson I, Johnson S, Soule T, Garcia-Pichel F. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria are structured by geography in biological soil crusts of North American arid lands.

Weber B, Wessels DCJ, Deutschewitz, Dojani S, Reichenberger H, Budel B. Ecological characterization of soil-inhabiting and hypolithic soil crusts within the Knersvlakte, South Africa.

Budel B, Vivas M, Lange OL. Lichen species dominance and the resulting photosynthetic behavior of Sonoran Desert soil crust types (Baja California, Mexico).

Dettweiler-Robinson E, Ponzetti JM, Bakker JD. Long-term changes in biological soil crust cover and composition.

Peterson EB. Regional-scale relationship among biological soil crusts, invasive annual grasses, and disturbance.

Beraldi-Campesi H. Early life on land and the first terrestrial ecosystems.

Summer internship USGS Canyonlands Field Station

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:06:00 +0000

.UNITED STATES

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

TEMPORARY RECRUITMENT BULLETIN

VACANCY NUMBER: 13-07 CRS

OPEN DATE: 5/6/2013

SALARY: $11.95/hr

CLOSE DATE: 5/10/13, 5/17/13, 5/24/13

POSITION: Biol Sci Aid (Student), GG-0404-03

TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: Temporary, NTE 180 working days

TOUR OF DUTY: 180 day (2 months)

AREA OF CONSIDERATION: U.S. Citizens

LOCATION: Moab, Utah

There are     1       position(s) to be hired from this announcement. Open dates are         5/6/2013       through       5/24/13     . This announcement will be open until all positions are filled, or closed on     5/24/13       . On each of the above dates the announcement will be closed and applications received as of that date will be evaluated. All applications must be received by 5:00 PM MST of the closing date(s).

THESE ARE TEMPORARY EXCEPTED SERVICES POSITIONS for which all qualified applicants, with or without Federal status, may apply and be considered. Appointment to these positions, however, will not convey permanent status in the Federal service. Appointment will only be for the duration of the position, normally 3-6 months. Temporary employees are covered by the Social Security Retirement System and annual and sick leave will be accrued except in intermittent status. Employees are ineligible for health and life insurance coverage.

DUTIES:

Conducts field sampling of biological soil crusts, vegetation, and soils of the Colorado Plateau with accuracy and precision specialized techniques at pre-selected study sites under supervision of field crew leader.

Prepares samples and performs laboratory analysis of crust, plant, and soil samples to determine specific chemical, physical, and/or biological characteristics under supervision of a project lead.

Enters data on a Windows-based computer using spreadsheets.

Operates a government motor vehicle.

Knowledge of basic laboratory safety protocols.

Basic knowledge of common field methods, sufficient to collect data in a scientifically sound manner.

Basic knowledge of procedures and techniques utilized in a laboratory setting for measuring the chemical parameters of soils.

Basic knowledge of scientific techniques and practices in gathering, compiling, and entering in a Windows-based PC program (e.g., Excel).

Basic knowledge of biological, physical, chemical and ecological science principles applicable to plant ecology, soil ecology and plant physiology.

Practical knowledge of the processes, methods and procedures of biological science to perform a variety of assignments.

Knowledge of routine field data collection procedures in order to collect biological data.

Skill in the operation, maintenance, and servicing of a variety of biological recording and measuring instruments.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

This is a two-month seasonal position. Incumbent will perform laboratory and field work from mid-May to mid-July. This position is in the Canyonlands Research Station, Moab, Utah. Work is performed over a wide geographic area requiring overnight trips and possibility of work in remote areas for up to 10-days. Incumbent participates in a research program focusing on the ecology and physiology of plants and biological soil crusts, soil ecology, biogeochemistry, physical soil science, plant-soil interactions, and invasive plants. Course work in botany, plant physiology, chemistry, and soil science is optimal. Incumbent will perform routine laboratory and field work. Duties include long days of collecting field data under extreme conditions, processing vegetation and soil samples for chemical analysis or archiving, use of complicated scientific instrumentation, and use of excel and/or access for data entry and summary.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Three months field survey party experience OR 1 year subprofessional experience OR 6 months college work related to field of employment. College work related to the field of employment which includes successful completion of at least one-half of an academic year (15 sem/23 quarter hours) of post high school education in an accredited college, junior college, or technical institute which included at least 3 semester/5 quarter hours in any combination of courses such as biological or physical science, engineering, or any branch of mathematics.

ELIGIBILITY:

Current students in an accredited high school, college (including 4-year colleges/universities, community colleges, and junior colleges); professional, technical, vocational, and trade school; advanced degree programs; or other qualifying educational institution pursuing a qualifying degree or certificate.

BASIS OF EVALUATION: All applicants will be evaluated on the basis of education and experience (including unpaid or volunteer experience). Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

First preference in referral will be given to eligible applicants entitled to 10 point veteran’s preference who have a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more. All other qualified applicants entitled to veteran’s preference will be given preference over qualified applicants not entitled to veteran’s preference.

ALL APPLICANTS MUST BE UNITED STATES CITIZENS: Under regulations in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, employment in this position is limited to those persons who are authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of appointment.

As a condition of employment, all new employees reporting for duty with the Department of the Interior will be paid through direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.

Applicants selected for Federal employment will be required to complete a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine their suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failure to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on the application may be grounds for not hiring the applicant, or for firing the applicant after he/she begins work. Also, he/she may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 1001).

Prior to or at the time of appointment, male applicants born after December 31, 1959, will have to certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System in order to be appointed to a position with the United States Geological Survey, unless legally qualified for an exception.

Employees of the U.S. Geological Survey are subject to the provisions of Title 43, U.S. Code, Section 31 (a) and may not according to this legislation and related regulation: (a) have any personal or private interest, direct or indirect, in lands or mineral wealth of such lands or a region under survey and whose title is in the U.S.; (b) execute surveys or examination for private parties or corporations; or (c) have personal or private interest, direct or indirect, in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business in the U.S. except where specifically authorized by the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey.

HOW TO APPLY: Carefully read all information and instructions. It is the responsibility of the applicant to insure the application is complete. The personnel office will not be responsible for soliciting additional information from applicants or from official personnel records, but will consider individuals based on their applications as submitted. Applications must be received in the             Canyonlands Research Station          office by the closing date on the announcement in order to be considered.

WHAT TO SUBMIT:

1.      Resume

2.      College transcript or list of college courses, specifying the title of course work, completion date, semester or quarter hours earned by course title, and grade earned.

3.      If claiming 5-point veteran’s preference, a DD-214 showing character of discharge is required.

4.      If claiming 10-pint veteran’s preference, a SF-15 with proof of claim is required.

APPLICATION MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

1.      Job Information

a.       Announcement number, title, and grade(s) of the job for which you are applying.

2.      Personal Information

a.       Full name, mailing address (with zip code), day and evening phone numbers (with area code)

b.      Country of Citizenship

c.       Veteran’s Preference

d.      Highest Federal civilian job held. Give job series, grade, and dates held)

3.      Education

a.       High School (name, address)

b.      Colleges and Universities (names and addresses)

c.       Majors

d.      Type and year of any degrees received. If no degree, show total credits earned and indicate whether semester or quarter hours.

4.      Work Experience (paid and non-paid) related to the job for which you are applying.

a.       Job Title (give series and grade if Federal)

b.      Duties and accomplishments

c.       Employer’s name and address

d.      Supervisor’s name and phone number

e.       Starting and ending dates (Month, day, and year).

f.       Hours per week

g.       Salary

h.      Indicate if current supervisor may be contacted.

5.      Other Qualifications

a.       Job-related training courses (title, length, and date taken)

b.      Job-related skills (i.e., other language, computer software; hardware, tools, machinery, typing speed, etc.)

c.       Job-related certificates and licenses (current only)

6.      Job-related honors, awards, and special accomplishments (i.e., publications, memberships in professional or honor societies, leadership activities, public speaking, and performance awards). Give details but do not send documents unless requested.

SEND YOUR APPLICATION TO:

***Email applications are preferred.

PLEASE LABEL EACH FILE WITH YOUR NAME AND THE POSITION NUMBER CRS 13-07.

EMAIL: crs_jobs@usgs.gov

ATTN: Erika Geiger

U.S. MAIL: Canyonlands Research Station, 2290 S. West Resource Blvd, Moab, Utah 84532

APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO BE CONSIDERED.

THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

THIS AGENCY PROVIDES REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS TO APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES

It is against the law to submit applications for employment using government franked envelopes or mail services (18 USC 1719). All such applications will not be considered

Fort Hill site selection trip April 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:42:00 +0000

We recently completed a recon trip to select study sites for our crust restoration studies. This one is Fort Hill Air Force Range, where we were hosted by Russ Lawrence and Aaron. Many thanks to our gracious hosts for a very successful trip. This is a beautiful cold desert area just to the west of the Great Salt Lake. Present were myself, Nichole Barger, Jayne Belnap, Mike Duniway, Ana Giraldo, and Anita Antoninka, who is away setting up experiments there as I write. I'd been to Salt Lake City a zillion times before, but due to the overcast sky this was the most beautiful plane landing. It was made all the more interesting since I was sitting next to two adult, male My Little Pony enthusiasts going to a Pony convention. I didn't know this phenomenon existed previously. They are called "bronies". Google it if you don't believe me. Oh yeah...the lake and snowcapped mountain combination was stunning. The base has that unique, lonely gray beauty that says "Great Basin!!!". It truly is the most underappreciated of North American deserts. The crusts did not disappoint either, we found lots of areas with fascinating crust flora, and all in all this seems to be a great place to work.

Due to low light and continuous hydration, these filamentous cyanobacteria have come to the soil surface. They will retreat when the soil drys or when the light increases.

This is what happens when I shout "Look happy, people!" to Ana (L) and Anita (R). Ana is about to collect some cyanobacteria to culture for her graduate project in the Garcia-Pichel lab. Anita is getting familiar with the place prior to installing hundreds of experimental plots.

Psora decipiens - what a show-off

Aspicilia rogeri - this species used to be considered A. fruticilosa, an Asian taxon, but the North American species turned out to be a new species which was named after Roger Rosentreter. It's a vagrant, just like Roger.

Catapyrenium??? I'm stumped by this. I first thought it was a Collema, but after I picked it up I'm convinced its a phycolichen with very little squamules. Maybe its Catapyrenium congestum?

On the ancient lake sediments, the biocrusts had polygonal cracks, and a Sharpei-skin surface structure.

Ditto, closer.

This is an invasive plant (bur buttercup) which loves to grow in the cracks between polygons whether or not there is crust present.

Russ chatting with Mike, Anita, and Ana.

Searching for a cheatgrass-free sandy soil. You can just make out that the salt flats in the far background are currently hosting a lake.

"Secret life of the Sonoran Desert" featuring Ferran Garcia-Pichel

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 20:55:00 +0000

Ira Flatow's Talk of the Nation (Science Friday), from NPR. Listen here:

Cambridge Journals Online - Abstract - Algal stacks and fungal stacks as adaptations to high light in lichens

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:54:00 +0000

Cambridge Journals Online - Abstract - Algal stacks and fungal stacks as adaptations to high light in lichens

The earliest records of internally stratified cyanobacterial and algal lichens from the Lower Devonian of the Welsh Borderland Honegger 2012 New Phytologist Wiley Online Library

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 22:00:00 +0000

The earliest records of internally stratified cyanobacterial and algal lichens from the Lower Devonian of the Welsh Borderland Honegger 2012 New Phytologist Wiley Online Library

Random (or at least haphazard) photo dump

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Bowker) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 22:33:00 +0000

The benefit of never downloading your photos is that there are forgotten gems in there when you do get around to it. These shots are from a river trip in the Grand Canyon, in Fall 2011. I volunteered on a bighorn sheep research trip, and while looking for sheep feces I also made a ton of magnetic measurements of rocks and checked out the crust flora. Don't ask, these are just things I do in my spare time.

These are some shots from the vicinity of mile 30 or so, or crusts growing on soils derived from the redwall limestone in Marble Canyon.

Psora crenata. This species is not common on the Colorado Plateau, but really the canyon bottom is getting close to a hot desert climate. I also see lets of this near Sedona, AZ, on soils derived from the Supai formation, and in the verde valley, AZ, on the verde limestone.

Peltula sp. (maybe richardsii). I did not collect this, but it does look distinct from the teeny, mostly sterile Peltula patellata I am used to seeing in Colorado Plateau environments. The giant red apothecia were clearly visible from a standing position, and caught my eye from meters away. The squamules are notable smoother than patellata. There's also a tiny bright green Bryum moss clearly visible.