Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : Restoration of Biological Soil Crust on Disturbed Gypsiferous Soils in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Eastern Mojave Desert

Auteur : Chiquoine, Lindsay P

Université de soutenance : University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Grade : Master of Science (MS) 2012

Résumé
Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances. Natural recovery takes many years. Active restoration decreases recovery time. Native BSC inocula, which included lichens and mosses, salvaged from gypsiferous soil habitats in Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA) in the eastern Mojave Desert were stored dry for two years and applied to disturbed soil after a road reconstruction in LMNRA and also used in laboratory experiments to test inoculation technique effectiveness. After 18 months, field results revealed positive relationships between inoculation and the presence of macroscopic BSC cover, cyanobacteria abundance, soil stability, and ammonium concentrations. Chlorophyll fluorescence monitoring of the dominant lichen Collema revealed specimens from field sites had equivalent or higher values than undisturbed specimens indicating photosynthetic recovery after salvage, storage, and field application. Laboratory slurry treatments showed significant evidence of cyanobacteria growth after eight months. The results from this thesis research have direct implications for ecosystem management.

Mots clés : Aridland ecology, Arid regions ecology, Biological soil crust, Cryptobiotic soil, Gypsiferous soil, Nevada, Restoration, Soil crusting, Soil restoration, Soils – Gypsum content, United States – Lake Mead National Recreation Area, United States – Mojave Desert

Présentation

Version intégrale (1,6 Mb)