Citizens of the Crust Biocrust Guide

Become a Citizen of the Crust (iNaturalist Project) and help gather georeferenced data on the health and diversity of biocrusts in North America! These fragile, overlooked soil communities need our help for their preservation! Biocrusts are taxonomically diverse topsoil communities comprising different combinations of algae, cyanobacteria, mosses, liverworts, lichens, and fungi which are adapted to desiccation, but which provide many ecosystem functions while dry and wet. Biocrusts stabilize soil, increase water infiltration, and aid nutrient cycling, all while providing habitat to a myriad of microorganisms from unicellular bacteria and protists to multicellular waterbears and insects!

These richly woven communities are found in all terrestrial ecosystems from arid deserts to arctic tundra, including Antarctica, but their challenging taxonomy and small size leave them historically overlooked and easily destroyed by humans and livestock. Learning their taxonomy takes years of study and microscopic dissection, but a hand lens and careful eye can help you learn to distinguish the major organismal groups that occur in different combinations! Knowing these groups will help you increase the quality of your observations as a Citizen of the Crust! less ↑