RT Journal Article
T1 Species‐specific effects of biocrust‐forming lichens on soil properties under simulated climate change are driven by functional traits
A1 Concostrina‐Zubiri, Laura
A1 Valencia Gómez, Enrique
A1 Ochoa, Victoria
A1 Gozalo, Beatriz
A1 Mendoza, Betty
A1 Maestre, Fernando
AB Biocrusts are key drivers of ecosystem functioning in drylands, yet our understanding of how climate change will affect the chemistry of biocrust‐forming species and their impacts on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling is still very limited.Using a manipulative experiment conducted with common biocrust‐forming lichens with distinct morphology and chemistry (Buellia zoharyi, Diploschistes diacapsis, Psora decipiens and Squamarina lentigera), we evaluated changes in lichen total and isotopic C and N and several soil C and N variables after 50 months of simulated warming and rainfall reduction.Climate change treatments reduced δ13 and the C : N ratio in B. zoharyi, and increased δ15N in S. lentigera. Lichens had species‐specific effects on soil dissolved organic N (DON), NH4+, β‐glucosidase and acid phosphatase activity regardless of climate change treatments, while these treatments changed how lichens affected several soil properties regardless of biocrust species. Changes in thallus δ<jats:sup>13</jats:sup>C, N and C : N drove species‐specific effects on dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), NH4+, β‐glucosidase and acid phosphatase activity.Our findings indicate that warmer and drier conditions will alter the chemistry of biocrust‐forming lichens, affecting soil nutrient cycling, and emphasize their key role as modulators of climate change impacts in dryland soils.
PB Wiley
SN 0028-646X
YR 2020
FD 2020
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/95153
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/95153
LA eng
NO Concostrina‐Zubiri, Laura, et al. «Species‐specific Effects of Biocrust‐forming Lichens on Soil Properties under Simulated Climate Change Are Driven by Functional Traits». New Phytologist, vol. 230, n.o 1, abril de 2021, pp. 101-15. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17143.
NO AcknowledgementsWe thank D. Callen, M. Ladrón de Guevara, J. L. Quero, M. D. Puche, N. Simón, R. Chaves, V. Felde, D. Sánchez-Pescador and S. Asensio for their help during the setup, maintenance and harvest/analysis of the experiment and its samples, and R. Maia for the isotope and elemental analysis. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments that improved an earlier version of the manuscript. This research was funded by the European Research Council (ERC Grant Agreements 242658 (BIOCOM) and 647038 (BIODESERT) awarded to FTM), and by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA Grant Agreement 795380 (INDECRUST) awarded to LC-Z). EV was supported by the 2017 program for attracting and retaining talent of Comunidad de Madrid (no. 2017-T2/AMB-5406). FTM also acknowledges support from Generalitat Valenciana (CIDEGENT/2018/041).
NO European Commission
NO Comunidad de Madrid
NO Generalitat Valenciana
DS Docta Complutense
RD 8 abr 2025