Biological soil crusts and their environmental function. Experience in Cienfuegos. Cuba

Abstract

The discovery of agriculture gave rise to civilized life and brought man face-to-face with other important manifestations of the microbial world. In this sense, biological soil crusts (CBS) are gaining an alternative perspective. This work aims to review the updated information on the morphophysiological characteristics and environmental impact of CBS. This is a theoretical-logical study. CBS are symbiotic associations between cyanobacteria, lichens, and mosses. Cyanobacteria occupy a special place, since they are related to the production of oxygen, in addition to being linked to the phylogenetic development of other species. The photoautotrophic metabolism of cyanobacteria and the presence of the enzyme nitrogenase in some species allow atmospheric nitrogen to be reduced and incorporated into the soil in the form of ammonium. Within the environmental functions of the CBS it is found, for example, that in its natural habitat, it provides a gradual improvement of the physical-chemical properties of soils degraded by environmental impact or by the anthropic factor. Therefore, studies are currently being carried out to use CBS as inoculums, or also mixed with organic fertilizers. This work is a scientific novelty, it fills the knowledge gap since it instructs and allows the design of new strategies to use CBS in soil restoration, reversing the loss of productivity and conditioning an improvement in ecological biodiversity.

Keywords: Biological scabs, Morphological, Symbiotic, Photoautotrophs, Ecological biodiversity.