Testing a model of biological soil crust succession

摘要

QuestionBiocrust composition is important for the diversity, structure and function of dryland ecosystems globally, but there is no universally applicable model of biocrust succession, and the models that do exist may not apply everywhere. We ask: (1) how do biocrust species vary in their response to time since livestock exclusion (Time) across environmental gradients; (2) is there evidence for ruderal, mid- and late successional responses to Time in biocrust species; (3) can exploration of species attributes within response groups reveal potential mechanisms for biocrust succession; and (4) do our data support an existing standard conceptual model of biocrust succession described in the literature.