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2.3 Biological Characteristics
What else photosynthesizes?
Other multicellular photosynthetic organisms
on the soil surface might include:
•
Mosses: small plant-like organisms
•
Lichens: a symbiotic relationship
between a fungus and a photosynthetic
microbe
•
Cyanobacteria: photosynthetic bacteria
that can be single-celled or can
aggregate to form strands or globs
Moss-dominated biological soil crust
Lichen-dominated biological soil crust
When mosses, lichens, or photosynthetic
bacteria are on the surface, they are called
“biological soil crusts” or “cryptogamic/
cryptobiotic crusts” (shown in the pictures).
These are not the same as physical crusts,
which form by raindrop impact or salt
formation.