Variation in the coverage of biological soil crusts in the State of Qatar

Biological Soil Crusts (BSC) are important ecological constituents found in a wide range of environments. In arid environments, they are particularly important as they provide structure to the soils and allow vascular plant communities to become established and develop. The terrestrial BSC coverage for the state of Qatar was documented by measuring the crust coverage in 33×1m2 quadrats in each of 91km2 blocks, accounting for 80% of the country. The coverage of BSC, comprised mainly of cyanobacteria, was found to vary within blocks and between blocks, with mean percentage coverage ranging between 0 and 87%. A north east (greatest) to south west (least) gradient was observed, corresponding with changes in soil type and topographical features. Assessing the coverage of BSC across the State of Qatar will be a useful baseline to monitor environmental disturbance and protect the loss of valuable soils in this arid environment. ► Biological Soil Crust (BSC) occupied up to 87% of the landmass of the State of Qatar. ► A north-east (greatest) to south-west (least) gradient in coverage was observed. ► The BSC consisted primarily of the cyanobacterium Microcoleus. ► A greater BSC coverage was found in areas with recorded depressions, aiding BSC development.