In dryland ecosystems, natural recovery of biological soil crusts (biocrusts) following disturbance may be slow or inhibited, necessitating active restoration practices. While biocrusts can be readily propagated under environmentally controlled conditions, rehabilitation in the field is complicated by environmental stresses which may be particularly acute in degraded, destabilized soils with harsh climatic conditions at the soil surface. In this study, we first present the results of a field trial at a severely degraded rangeland site examining the stabilizing effects of various soil amendments (polysaccharide glues and polyacrylamides) in combination with biocrust inoculum. We found that a psyllium compound was the only amendment to maintain effectiveness after 19 months, and the only treatment that maintained biocrust inoculum throughout the trial. In a subsequent short‐term experiment where plots were shaded and watered, we examined how biocrust inoculation rate (0, 20, and 40% initial cover) and the psyllium‐based amendment affected biocrust growth. After 4 months, visible biocrust cover in inoculated plots was greater than in controls, but only chlorophyll a exhibited a dosage‐response to inoculum application rate, indicating preferential establishment of cyanobacteria. Psyllium did not affect biocrust development but did improve soil stability. Shade and watering buffered against temperature extremes (up to 15°C) and increased the duration of moist surface conditions necessary for biocrust growth by up to 30%, mimicking conditions more common in the fall and winter months. Our results suggest that inducing early successional biocrusts on a highly degraded site is possible with suitable microclimate conditions.

中文翻译：

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改善退化干旱地区土壤稳定性和快速生物结壳定殖的微场所增强

在干旱地区的生态系统中，受干扰后生物土壤结皮（生物结皮）的自然恢复可能会变慢或受阻，因此必须采取积极的恢复措施。虽然生物结皮可以在环境可控的条件下轻松繁殖，但野外的修复因环境压力而变得复杂，这种环境压力在土壤表面恶劣的恶劣气候条件下的退化，不稳定的土壤中尤为严重。在这项研究中，我们首先介绍在严重退化的牧场现场进行的田间试验结果，研究了各种土壤改良剂（多糖胶和聚丙烯酰胺）与生物结皮接种物的稳定作用。我们发现，车前子化合物是19个月后维持疗效的唯一修正，并且是整个试验期间唯一保持生物结皮接种物的治疗方法。在随后的对地块进行阴影和浇水的短期实验中，我们研究了生物结皮接种率（初始覆盖率为0％，20％和40％）和基于车前草的补品对生物结皮生长的影响。4个月后，接种区的可见生物结皮覆盖率大于对照组，但只有叶绿素a对接种量有剂量反应，表明优先建立蓝细菌。洋车前草不影响生物结皮的发育，但确实改善了土壤的稳定性。遮荫和浇水可抵御极端温度（最高15°C），并使生物结皮生长所需的潮湿表面条件的持续时间延长多达30％，从而模仿了秋季和冬季更常见的条件。我们的结果表明，在合适的微气候条件下，可以在高度降解的地点诱导早期演替生物结皮。