Abstract
Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are known to affect plants’ germination and seedling establishment in arid ecosystems, but their ecological role in more mesic climates is not so well-known. We tested the effects of moss-crusted versus uncrusted soils on seed germination dynamics in a temperate pine barren ecosystem. We conducted a 35-day laboratory assay of seed germination on moss-crusted soils versus uncrusted soils from the Albany (NY) Pine Bush Preserve. We compared total seed germination and the number of days to 50% of total germination of two herbaceous perennial forb species in each soil type. Three and five times more seeds germinated on uncrusted soil than on crusted soil for bush clover (Lespedeza capitata) and wild lupine (Lupinus perennis), respectively. Seeds of both species also germinated approximately 10 days earlier on uncrusted soil than on crusted soil. This study, and others in similar habitats, show that BSCs in mesic climates can influence germination and other early life-history stages of plants. We hope that further study of the interactions between BSCs and vascular plants in mesic climates will contribute to our understanding of the ecology of BSCs outside the arid and semiarid climates where they are more extensively studied.
Highlights
A variety of biotic and abiotic factors can strongly influence the rates of seed germination and other early plant life stages that, in turn, influence plant population structure and community composition [1,2,3]
The Albany Pine Bush (APB) Preserve (42 ̊ 42’ N; 73 ̊ 52’ W; Fig 1) is an inland pine barren that is formed of deep, sandy, glacial outwash soils [28]
Though some germination assays have found that biological soil crusts (BSCs) can enhance rates of germination [26, 31], our findings are consistent with other studies in mesic and arid climates in which BSCs inhibited germination [18, 27, 32,33,34,35]
Summary
A variety of biotic and abiotic factors can strongly influence the rates of seed germination and other early plant life stages that, in turn, influence plant population structure and community composition [1,2,3] Understanding such factors, and how they vary in space and time, are critical if we are to understand ecosystem processes and resilience to disturbances [4,5,6]. BSCs are aggregations of cyanobacteria, algae, lichens, and bryophytes that form thin layers on soil surfaces [7,8,9] They can play an integral role in soil stability [10, 11], soil moisture retention [12, 13], and the nitrogen cycle [14, 15]. Biocrust-plant interactions should be tested empirically rather than inferred from other studies
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
