Sonia Chamizo | Biocrust cyanobacteria as a tool for restoration of degraded dryland soils
Channel: CyanoWorld
Date: 2021-01-22

Sonia Chamizo - University of Almeria, Spain

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sonia_Chamizo

Biocrust cyanobacteria as a tool for restoration of degraded dryland soils

Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous and versatile organisms, able to inhabit almost every habitat on Earth. In drylands, cyanobacteria are key components of biocrust communities and pioneers in biocrust succession. They stabilize the soil surface and increase soil organic carbon and nutrient content, improving edaphic conditions and facilitating the colonization of later-successional biocrust organisms such as lichens and mosses. Many of the functions that cyanobacteria play in the soil are related to their ability to produce exopolysaccharides of diverse composition and structure, which are among the most complex compounds synthesized by bacteria.  Cyanobacteria are able to cope with the harsh conditions typically characterizing dryland regions including high UV radiation, long drought periods, and frequent wetting-drying cycles. Due to the benefits, they confer to soils, the high versatility and ability to adapt to extreme environmental conditions, as well as the possibility of being isolated from soils and cultured ex-situ, cyanobacteria are one of the most promising biocrust components as bio-inoculants for ecological restoration of degraded lands. Laboratory experiments have shown positive effects of cyanobacteria inoculation on biocrust formation, soil stabilization, and organic carbon and nutrient contents in a variety of soil types. However, their use under natural conditions shows a more limited success and several barriers need to be overcome before successful application of this technology on large scales can be achieved. During this seminar, results of laboratory trials consisting of inoculation of different biocrust cyanobacterial strains, isolated from semiarid soils of SE Spain, and applied individually and as a consortium, on different soil types will be shown. Transfer of this technology from lab to field conditions point to an improvement in the success of inoculum establishment when habitat amelioration strategies are used. Combination of cyanobacteria inoculation with plant-based strategies appears as a promising tool to effectively restore degraded dryland soils.

This talk is part of the CyanoWorld online seminar series, hosted by Nicolas Schmelling and Ilka Axmann, and was held on Zoom on January 14th, 2021.

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