Nitrogen-fixing bacterial community composition of agroecosystem biocrusts

Biocrusts, communities of microorganisms within the top centimeter of soil, are common in natural ecosystems. Although biocrusts in agroecosystems can have similar rates of nitrogen (N) fixation as those in natural ecosystems, it is unclear how agricultural management practices influence biocrust community composition and function. This study examined the bacterial and diazotrophic communities of biocrusts adjacent to crops in a citrus orchard and a vineyard that shared similar climate and soil type but differed in management. To contrast climate and soil type, these biocrusts were also compared to those from an apple orchard.