Journal of Geographical Sciences

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Livestock trampling routes regulate biocrust composition in drylands: Implications for geodiversity and functioning

Ilan STAVI, Arnon KARNIELI, Eli ARGAMAN, Yagil OSEM, Eli ZAADY

Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2025, 35(11): 2427-2442. DOI: 10.1007/s11442-025-2419-z

Aspect	Atir Microhabitat	Organism	Aspect	Lehavim Microhabitat	Organism	Aspect	Za’ak Microhabitat	Organism
North	Inter-route1	High cover of Microcoleus spp.	North	Inter-route1	High cover of Microcoleus spp. +high cover moss	North	Inter-route1	High cover of Microcoleus spp. Nostoc spp.+minor moss cover
	Inter-route2	Minor Microcoleus spp. cover		Inter-route2	High cover of Microcoleus spp. +high cover moss		Inter-route2	High cover of Microcoleus spp. + Nostoc spp.
	Inter-route3	High cover of Microcoleus spp.		Inter-route3	High cover of Microcoleus spp. +high cover moss		Inter-route3	High cover of Microcoleus spp. Nostoc spp. + minor moss cover
South	Inter-route1	High cover of Microcoleus spp.+ Scytonema spp.	South	Inter-route1	High cover of Microcoleus spp.	South	Inter-route1	Minor Scytonema spp. +minor moss cover
	Inter-route2	High cover of Microcoleus spp.+ Scytonema spp.		Inter-route2	High cover of Microcoleus spp. +minor moss cover		Inter-route2	Minor Scytonema spp. + minor moss cover
	Inter-route3	Minor Microcoleus spp. cover		Inter-route3	High cover of Microcoleus spp. +minor moss		Inter-route3	High cover of Microcoleus spp. + Scytonema spp. +Nostoc spp. +moss
North	Route1	Minor Microcoleus spp. cover	North	Route1	High cover of Microcoleus spp. +minor moss cover	North	Route1	Minor Microcoleus spp. cover
	Route2	Minor Microcoleus spp. cover		Route2	High cover of Microcoleus spp. +minor moss cover		Route2	Minor Microcoleus spp. cover
	Route3	High cover of Microcoleus spp		Route3	High cover of Microcoleus spp. +minor moss cover		Route3	Minor Microcoleus spp. cover
South	Route1	Minor Microcoleus spp. cover	South	Route1	High cover of Microcoleus spp. +minor moss cover	South	Route1	Minor Microcoleus spp.+ Scytonema spp.
	Route2	Minor Microcoleus spp. cover		Route2	Minor Microcoleus spp. cover		Route2	Minor Scytonema spp. + minor moss cover
	Route3	Minor Microcoleus spp. cover		Route3	High cover of Microcoleus spp.		Route3	Minor Nostoc spp. cover

Table S1 Biocrust organisms according to site, aspect, and microhabitat

Other figure/table from this article

Figure 1 Map of Israel, indicating the study sites
Figure 2 Characteristic views the hilly semi-arid northern Negev: (Left) The Lehavim site, note the trampling routes transecting the hillslope; (Right) The Atir site, note the linear pattern of the animals’ movement
Figure 3 Sampling scheme: (a) diagram of 1.0×1.0 m frame, divided into 0.2×0.2 m quadrates. Grey background represent a trampling route, whereas the white background represents the inter-route spaces. Red stars mark quadrates used for visual observations. Purple triangles mark quadrates used for crust and soil sampling; (b) characteristic dark (top) and light (bottom) crusts; (c) crust sampling.
Figure 4 Distribution of light vs. dark biocrusts according to microhabitat
Figure 5 A 4.5X magnification of cyanobacteria (right) and moss (left)
Figure 6 Effects of hillslope aspect (a) and microhabitat (b) on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Brightness Index (BI), and Crust Index (CI)
Table 1 Aspect effect on soil properties
Table 2 Microhabitat effect on soil properties
Figure 7 A schematic diagram, demonstrating the impact of livestock pressure in the trampling routes vs. in the inter-route spaces on biocrust composition and soil quality

模态框（Modal）标题

Figure/Table detail