Journal of Geographical Sciences

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

Figure 1 Map of Israel, indicating the study sites

Other figure/table from this article

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