Life Sciences Commons^™

Restoring Biogeochemical Properties In Drylands And Exploring Functional Roles Of Biological Soil Crust, Kristina Young

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Degradation in dryland regions is a persistent and accelerating problem. Though the mechanisms that initiate and maintain dryland degradation have been well studied, restoring productivity and function to degraded dryland ecosystems remains difficult. Here, I present three chapters that address gaps in our understanding of dryland functions and our ability to restore them. I begin by examining how dryland restoration research has addressed altered biogeochemical cycling in drylands and how to expand current understandings of dryland biogeochemistry into restoration. I then present two chapters that explore mechanistic and quantitative understandings of the contribution of biocrusts to soil nutrient cycling both …