Functional performance of biocrusts across Europe and its implications for drylands

Abstract

The Soil Crust International (SCIN) project was a multidisciplinary attempt to obtain a complete understanding of biocrusts communities across Europe, including among the monitored locations the Tabernas badlands in Spain, the driest habitat in the whole continent. Here we provide an overview in a Mini-Review format of our research about the functional performance of the more relevant biocrust forming organisms involved, looking for similarities and differences in the behavior of these communities in regions with contrasting environmental conditions, allowing a deeper understanding of habitat over biocrusts functioning. New unpublished results linked to SCIN are also included in order to reinforce or clarify some general ideas proposed within the text. The general perspective provided to the data through this unique multi-site comparison, will allow in depth studies of relevant functional traits that can shed some light over the possibility of biocrusts behaving as functional types under some circumstances. Poikilohydry is proposed as an essential driving force involved, at different extents, in all key traits ruling biocrusts ecophysiology.