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Ecological Processes
Figure 1 | Ecological Processes

Figure 1

From: Ecological characterization of soil-inhabiting and hypolithic soil crusts within the Knersvlakte, South Africa

Figure 1

The Knersvlakte and its habitats for cryptogamic organisms. (A) Overview of the Knersvlakte with extended quartz fields and the characteristic flora, which comprises highly diverse succulent plants and dwarf shrubs. (B) Within the Knersvlakte, large tracts of quartz fields with hypolithic growth occur next to soil surfaces, facilitating epedaphic growth of biological soil crusts. (C) Quartz pebbles of the Knersvlakte with hypolithic cyanobacterial growth on the formerly embedded part of the quartz stone. (D) Cyanobacteria-dominated biological soil crusts occurring in quartz-free regions within the Knersvlakte.

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