Soil hydrology is independent of microphytic crust cover: Further evidence from a wooded semiarid australian rangeland

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Rainfall simulation experiments were performed on 25 plots of varying microphytic crust cover in a wooded semiarid rangeland in eastern Australia. Under a rainfall intensity of 45 mm h‐1, steady‐state infiltration ranged from 5 mm h‐1 to 41 mm h‐1, but there was no effect of cover on this or any of the other soil hydrological variables measured. When disturbed plots with low cover (<15% cover) were excluded from the analyses, significant increases in time to ponding were associated with increases in crust cover. Despite some significant relationships, however, crust cover was an insignificant predictor of soil hydrological status at this site. We attribute this to the well‐structured nature of the soils at the site, which have not been subjected to grazing by domestic animals for almost 20 years. The results support earlier work suggesting that in the short term, crust cover is only an important moderator of soil hydrology when soils are degraded.