Soil nutrient content.

<p>Soil nutrient content.</p

Changes to the surface of moss crust under treatment 6,000 lx+1 watering/2 days-Knop during cultivation.

<p>A, B, and C, represent the status at day 0, day 20, and day 40, respectively.</p

Key Factors Influencing Rapid Development of Potentially Dune-Stabilizing Moss-Dominated Crusts

<div><p>Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are a widespread photosynthetic ground cover in arid and semiarid areas. They have many positive ecological functions, such as increasing soil stability, and reducing water and wind erosion. Using artificial technology to achieve the rapid development of BSCs is expected to become a low-cost and highly beneficial ecological restoration measure. In the present study, typical moss-dominated crusts in a region characterized by mobile dunes (Mu Us Sandland, China) were collected, and a 40-day cultivation experiment was performed to investigate key factors, including watering frequency, light intensity and a nutrient addition, which affect the rapid development of moss crusts and their optimal combination. The results demonstrated that watering frequency and illumination had a significant positive effect (P=0.049, three-factor ANOVA) and a highly significant, complicated effect (P=0.000, three-factor ANOVA), respectively, on the plant density of bryophytes, and a highly significant positive effect on the chlorophyll <i>a</i> and exopolysaccharide contents (P=0.000, P=0.000; P=0.000, P=0.000; one-way ANOVA). Knop nutrient solution did not have a significant positive but rather negative effect on the promotion of moss-dominated crust development (P=0.270, three-factor ANOVA). Moss-dominated crusts treated with the combination of moderate-intensity light (6,000 lx) + high watering frequency (1 watering/2 days) - Knop had the highest moss plant densities, while the treatment with high-intensity light (12,000 lx) + high watering frequency (1 watering/2 days) + Knop nutrient solution had higher chlorophyll <i>a</i> contents than that under other treatments. It is entirely feasible to achieve the rapid development of moss crusts under laboratory conditions by regulating key factors and creating the right environment. Future applications may seek to use cultured bryophytes to control erosion in vulnerable areas with urgent needs.</p></div

Dynamic characteristics of the growth rates of moss plant densities for four treatments under 2000 lx, 6000 lx, and 12000 lx illumination intensities, respectively.

<p>The values were presented as the Mean ± SE.</p

Dynamic changes in moss plant densities for four treatments under 2000 lx, 6000 lx, and 12000 lx illumination intensities, respectively.

<p>The values were presented as the Mean ± SE.</p

Chlorophyll <i>a</i> contents and Exopolysaccharide contents of mosses under various treatments.

<p>The values were presented as the Mean ± SE, different small letters indicate significant differences among homogeneous treatments at P < 0.05.</p

The design scheme for each treatment.

<p>The design scheme for each treatment.</p