| The ecology and distribution of soil-borne cyanobacteria is poorly known. Cyanobacteria are important components of arid soils, fixing nitrogen and stabilising soils, and the crusts that they form are generally an indication of healthy soils.
I am studying the spatial and temporal distribution of cyanobacterial crusts in relation to grazing and disturbance in large pastoral paddocks in westernQueensland. My work has revealed that crust composition changes in relation to distance from water, and the sites with an extensive crust cover tended to support a greater diversity of crust species. Cyanobacteria seem to have a competitive advantage in areas where thin layers of mobile sand cover the surface, creating an anaerobic environment conducive to nitrogen fixation. I am examining the effect on these soil layers on the underlying crust and the effect of dew and light on the ability of the crusts to photosynthesise.
My research on nitrogen production indicates that crusts are capable of producing large amounts of mineralisable nitrogen which are likely to be used by vascular plants after droughts.
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