Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba
8410501, Israel
Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Blaustein Institutes for
Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel
Eva Petrova
Institute of Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry, Biology Centre CAS, Na
Sádkách 7, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Osnat Gillor
Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Blaustein Institutes for
Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel
Yaron Ziv
Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba
8410501, Israel
This paper evaluates bacterial growth in biocrusts after a large-scale mining disturbance in a hyperarid desert, using a stable isotope probing assay.
We discovered that biocrust bacteria from both natural and post-mining plots resumed photosynthetic activity but did not grow following hydration. Our paper provides insights into the effects of a large-scale disturbance (mining) on biocrusts and their response to hydration, with implications for biocrust restoration practices in Zin mines.
This paper evaluates bacterial growth in biocrusts after a large-scale mining disturbance in a...