Effects of microbiotic crusts on evaporation from the revegetated area in a Chinese desert

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doi:10.1071/SR06175

Effects of microbiotic crusts on evaporation from the revegetated area in a Chinese desert

Lichao Liu ^A ^B, Yaoxuan Song ^A, Yanhong Gao ^A, Tao Wang ^A, Xinrong Li ^A

^A Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 260 Donggang West Road, Lanzhou 730000, China.
^B Corresponding author. Email: lichao@lzb.ac.cn





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Soil Research 45(6) 422–427 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/SR06175
Submitted: 12 December 2006 Accepted: 27 July 2007 Published online: 20 September 2007

Abstract

Conflicting views exist on the evaporative effects of microbiotic crusts. The effects of microbiotic crusts on evaporation were studied using a microlysimeter under different simulated precipitation. The results show that under minor precipitation, the microbiotic crusts generally act as a retarding factor for evaporation, prolonging water retention in the surface layer in comparison with sandy soil, whereas under abundant precipitation, the crusts result in less infiltration and a greater total water loss through evaporation. It is possible that microbiotic crusts act as a major environmental driver in the succession of restored vegetation through their influence on evaporative water loss.

Keywords: microbiotic crusts, evaporation, restored vegetation, arid zone.