TY - GEN A1 - Seitz, Steffen A1 - Veste, Maik T1 - Bryophyte-lichens dominated biological soil crusts affect soils and ecohydrology in temperate forests in Germany T2 - EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria & Online | 23–27 May 2022 N2 - Forest dieback can be both a consequence and a cause of climate change. The changing climate does not only lead to temperature increases but also changes in the precipitation regime. Extreme events have increased sharply in recent years, making drought and heat waves ubiquitous. Meanwhile, for temperate forests, drought stress is considered one of the most serious impacts of climate change. In this context, forest soils are of great importance in their hydrological functions, as well as their feedbacks with ground vegetation. In this context, biological soil crusts are key drivers of functional processes and ecosystem development, also under forest, where they have been less studied so far. Bryophyte and lichen dominated communities can importantly affect e.g. water storage and discharge as well as soil development and stabilization. Moreover, they contribute to carbon and nitrogen cycling and play an important role in biogeochemical processes. Their species composition depends on soil properties such as texture and pH, on microclimate and as poikilohydric plants, their ecophysiology is strongly dependent on water availability, differing in time and space. KW - Biological soil crusts KW - ecohydrology KW - forests Y1 - 2022 UR - https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-UBICO/frontdoor/index/index/docId/28783 UR - https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU22/EGU22-12352.html ER -