DOI: 10.5061/dryad.mgqnk99dh
title: Biological soil crusts enhance the role of soil seed banks in semi-arid ecosystems

description: Soil seed banks provide materials for plant distribution, dynamics, and
 ecosystem evolution. In semi-arid sandy regions, biological soil crusts
 (BSCs) exist widely and play a significant role in the early stages of the
 life history of vascular plants. Seed banks are regulated by the
 interactions between BSCs and vascular plants, and are also affected by
 the spatial distribution of BSCs. While many studies have focused on how
 BSCs influence seed germination and seedling survival, their impact on
 soil seed banks has been less explored, even though seed banks are crucial
 for plant community assembly and ecological resilience in the semiarid
 regions. We collected soil samples of the patches of bare sand, physical,
 algal, and moss crust at the typical distribution site of BSC in the Mu Us
 Sandy Land, northern China, over two periods. Germination experiments were
 conducted to analyze the composition and distribution of transient and
 persistent seed banks, respectively. We also investigated the BSC patches
 and plant communities to assess the similarity between seed banks and
 above-ground vegetations. In the transient seed bank, the seed density
 increased 289%, 422%, and 1032% in the physical, algal and moss crust,
 respectively, compared to bare sand. The persistent seed bank showed no
 significant differences among different patches. The moss crust improved
 significantly on the transient seed bank by collecting many annual herb
 seeds. The algal crust significantly increased the proportion of perennial
 herbs and xerophytes in the persistent seed bank, although there were no
 significant differences in diversity among different patches. Synthesis
 and applications: BSCs exert a storage effect (particularly the moss
 crust) and a filtering effect (particularly the algal crust), enhancing
 the role of both transient and persistent seed banks in semi-arid lands.
 The patchy mosaic distribution pattern triggered "seed islands"
 within communities, which harbor high seed densities by the storage effect
 or preserve rare species by the filtering effect. These seed islands
 improve ecosystem regeneration and resilience and maintain heterogeneity
 in plant communities, highlighting the importance of BSCs in combating
 desertification and maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function in
 semi-arid regions.
description: # Biological soil crusts enhance the role of soil seed banks in semi-arid
 ecosystems Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.mgqnk99dh](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mgqnk99dh) ##
 Description of the data and file structure We collected soil samples from
 fields and cultivated them in a greenhouse. All seedlings that germinated
 during the experiment have been recorded and displayed in this dataset. 
 In addition, soil properties and aboveground investigation data are
 included.  ### Files and variables #### File:
 JAPPL-2025-01713-data_update.csv **Description:** This is a standard file
 including data on seed density, life forms, water ecotypes, species
 diversity indexes, and soil properties. ##### Variables * Seed bank:
 including "Transient seed bank" and "Persistent seed
 bank". * Patch type: including "Bare sand", "Physical
 crust", "Algal crust" and "Moss crust".  * Depth:
 including "0-5 cm" and "5-10 cm".  * Seed density:
 amout of seeds per square meter * Simpson: Simpson index, dimensionless
 quantity * Shannon: Shannon-Wiener index, dimensionless quantity *
 Sheldon: Sheldon index, dimensionless quantity * Other variables show the
 whole name and units, therefore we no longer explain for them.  ##
 Code/software No software is needed to view this dataset except Microsoft
 Excel.  ## Access information Other publicly accessible locations of the
 data: * [10.5281/zenodo.18453381](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18453381)