How Can We Stabilize Soil Using Microbial Communities and Mitigate Desertification?

The desert, which covers around one-third of Earth’s continental surface, is defined as the harshest terrestrial environment and comprises a highly extensive biome of the terrestrial ecosystem. Microorganisms are key drivers that maintain the integrity of desert terrestrial ecosystems. Over the past...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2023-01, Vol.15 (1), p.863
Main Author: Dhawi, Faten
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggregates
Bacteria
Biodegradation
Biological properties
Biomes
Climate change
Cyanobacteria
Desertification
Deserts
Flowers & plants
Fungi
Global warming
Gram-positive bacteria
Land degradation
Land use
Microbial activity
Microorganisms
Nostoc
Permeability
Physical properties
Physiochemistry
Precipitation
Productivity
Rain and rainfall
Rainfall
Saudi Arabia
Shear strength
Soil erosion control
Soil microbiology
Soil microorganisms
Soil properties
Soil research
Soil stabilization
Stabilization
Sustainability
Terrestrial ecosystems
Terrestrial environments
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Description
Summary:The desert, which covers around one-third of Earth’s continental surface, is defined as the harshest terrestrial environment and comprises a highly extensive biome of the terrestrial ecosystem. Microorganisms are key drivers that maintain the integrity of desert terrestrial ecosystems. Over the past few decades, desertification has increased owing to changes in rainfall patterns and global warming, characterized by land degradation, loss of microbial diversity (biocrust diversity), and multifunctionality with time. Soil stabilization is a geotechnical modality that improves the physiochemical properties of the soil. Biological modality is an emerging method that attracts the scientific community for soil stabilization. Enriching the soil with microorganisms such as some bacteria geniuses (Cystobacter, Archangium, Polyangium, Myxococcus, Stigmatella and Sorangium, Bacillus, Acinetobacter, Proteus, Micrococcus, and Pseudom) or Cyanobacteria (Oscillatoria pseudogeminata, Chroococcus minutus, Phormidium Tenue, and Nostoc species), and Lichens (Collema sps., Stellarangia sps., and Buellia species) might contribute to stabilizing the soil and mitigating desertification. In this timeline review article, we summarize the biological method of soil stabilization, especially focusing on the role of microorganisms in soil stabilization in the desert.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su15010863