Biological Soil Crusts of Asia Including the Don and Volga Region

Abstract

Information on biological soil crusts in Asia is extremely rare and scattered throughout the literature. Language barriers make it difficult to identify relevant publications. Although scientific literature on soil algal and cyanobacterial communities from the former USSR is fairly abundant (e.g., Bolyshev and Manucharova 1947; Gollerbakh et al. 1956; Forest 1965; Novichkova- Ivanova 1980), reports on soil cyanobacteria, algae, and lichens from other countries are usually restricted to single publications chronicling expeditions to specific biomes or regions (e.g., Cogt 1979; Huneck et al. 1984, 1987, 1992). In addition, most studies focused on the soil independent of its relationship to biological soil crusts (see Novichkova-Ivanova 1980). As a result, information on crust-forming organisms is scattered and is found partly in the phycological and lichenological literature that addresses “subaerial” algae (including cyanobacteria) and/or terricolous lichens. Because of their close phytogeographical relations to Asia, biological soil crusts of the eastern European Volga and Don region are included in this chapter as well.