Y. Cantón

TL;DR: In this paper, the physicochemical properties of soil crusts and their underlying soil were analyzed in two semi-arid areas in SE Spain and the results highlight the significant role of BSCs in water availability, soil stability and soil fertility in semiarid regions.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reviewed the methods and data describing runoff generation and water erosion, synthesising the key processes involved, rates, thresholds and controlling factors from a scale-dependent perspective, identifying the major gaps in current knowledge to provide recommendations for further research towards solutions that reduce the negative impacts of erosion.

TL;DR: The growing body of research on BSCs available from semi-arid areas of Spain is reviewed, highlighting its importance for increasing the authors' knowledge on this group of organisms and how it can be use to guide management and restoration efforts.

TL;DR: The role of lichen crusts in soil water conservation has been demonstrated even when the properties of the soil beneath do not favor water storage as mentioned in this paper, and the influence of rainfall partitioning on soil moisture patterns has been found below intershrub (open) areas and below shrubs.

TL;DR: In this article, the effect of physical and biological crusts on soil surface roughness and their influence on runoff and erosion was investigated, and the best relationship between microtopography and runoff on biologically crusted soils was found for surface storage capacity, which appears as a powerful predictor of the runoff coefficient on long temporal scales.