Title:
Lichen-dominated soil crusts as arthropod habitat in warm deserts
Publication Year:
2006
Abstract:
Soil crust lichens can be the dominant vegetation in arid lands, yet their importance as habitat to secondary producers is relatively unknown. This study examines the distribution of arthropod communities in the northern Namib Desert to evaluate whether a lichen-rich area is more or less productive than adjacent habitats in terms of the consumers each supports. Arthropods are diverse and highly endemic in the Namib Desert and lichens dominate this desert's extensive gravel plains. We sampled lichen-rich, dwarf shrub, and unvegetated sites and found distinct arthropod assemblages in the lichen-dominated sites, including species unique to lichen sites. Arthropod assemblages in two of the lichen sites were similar to those found in the dwarf shrub site. In a canonical correspondence analysis, crustose lichens and overall lichen cover were key in driving the variance in arthropod assemblages within the lichen sites. Keywords: Biological soil crusts, Desert ecology, Namib Desert, Pitfall trapping.
Publication Title:
Journal of Arid Environments
Volume:
67
Issue:
4
Pages:
579-593
Item Type:
Journal Article
Language:
en

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