Methods to reduce soil loss and associated loss of ecosystem functions due to land degradation are of particular importance in dryland ecosystems. Biocrusts are communities of cyanobacteria, lichens, and bryophytes that are vulnerable to soil disturbance, but provide vital ecosystem functions when present. Biocrusts stabilize soil, improve hydrologic function, and increase nutrient and carbon inputs. Methods to reestablish biocrust rapidly, when lost from ecosystems, have the potential to restore important dryland ecosystem functions and thereby increase probability of successful rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to identify habitat ameliorations to enhance the success of biocrust inoculation by: (1) reducing physiological stress on biocrusts and increasing resource availability (using shade, soil surface roughening, and watering), and (2) stabilizing mobile soils (using straw borders, three soil tackifiers [soil stabilizers], and a combination of shade, water, roughening, and tackifier). In the Great Basin Desert on the Utah Test and Training Range near Salt Lake City, we applied field‐harvested biocrust material to experimental plots on coarse‐ and fine‐textured soils with the top 2 cm of soil and biocrust removed. Habitat ameliorations were applied with and without biocrust addition. Shade provision increased biocrust cover 50% over controls. Biocrust cover and soil stability were 65% lower in straw border plots relative to controls. Soil tackifiers, alone and in combination with resource augmentation and stress reduction, did not improve cover and stabilization over inoculated controls. We found variability in recovery by time and between soil types. These results suggest plausible strategies to improve success of biocrust inoculation.

中文翻译：

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解决改善旱地恢复中生物结壳定植和建立的障碍

减少因土地退化造成的土壤流失和相关的生态系统功能丧失的方法在旱地生态系统中尤为重要。生物结皮是蓝细菌，地衣和苔藓植物的群落，它们易受土壤干扰，但在存在时提供重要的生态系统功能。生物结皮稳定土壤，改善水文功能，增加养分和碳的输入。在生态系统中消失后，快速重建生物结皮的方法具有恢复重要的旱地生态系统功能的潜力，从而增加成功恢复生物的可能性。这项研究的目的是通过以下方面来确定栖息地的改善措施，以提高生物结皮接种的成功率：（1）减轻生物结皮的生理压力并增加资源利用率（使用阴影，土壤表面粗糙和浇水），（2）稳定流动土壤（使用稻草边框，三种土壤增粘剂[土壤稳定剂]，以及阴影，水，粗糙化剂和增粘剂的组合）。在盐湖城附近的犹他州测试和训练场的大盆地沙漠中，我们将田间收获的生物结皮材料应用于在粗糙和细纹理土壤上去除了土壤和生物结皮的前2 cm的实验地块。在添加和不添加生物结皮的情况下进行人居改善。遮荫提供的生物结皮覆盖率比对照提高了50％。秸秆边界地块的生物结皮覆盖率和土壤稳定性比对照低65％。单独使用土壤增粘剂，以及与增加资源和减轻压力相结合，并不能提高接种疫苗的覆盖率和稳定性。我们发现了不同时间和不同土壤类型之间的恢复差异。