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Biological soil crusts inhibit seed germination in a mesic pine barren ecosystem

Aims - Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are known to affect plants’ germination and seedling establishment, but the ecological role of BSCs in more mesic climates are not so well-known. We tested the effects of moss-crusted versus uncrusted soils on seed germination dynamics in a temperate pine barren ecosystem.
 Methods - We conducted a 35-day laboratory assay of seed germination on moss-crusted soils versus uncrusted soils from the Albany (NY) Pine Bush Preserve. We tested total seed germination and the number of days to 50% of total germination (T50) of two herbaceous perennial forb species in each soil type.
 Results - Three and five times more seeds germinated on uncrusted soil than on crusted soil for bush clover (Lespedeza capitata) and wild lupine (Lupinus perennis), respectively. Seeds of both species also germinated approximately 10 days earlier on uncrusted soil than on crusted soil.
 Conclusions - This study, and others in similar habitats, show that BSCs in mesic ecosystems can influence germination and other early life-history stages of plants. We hope that further study of the interactions between BSCs and vascular plants in mesic climates will contribute to our understanding of the ecology of BSCs outside the arid and semiarid climates where they are more extensively studied.