The Terrestrial Nitrogen-fixing Blue-green Algae, which are possessed of both photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation, are the leading organisms in the adverse circumstances. With their typical cell structures and physiological abilities, they are strongly resistant to drought, infertility etc. The growth of Terrestrial Nitrogen-fixing Blue-green Algae can rich the soils in nitrogen and organic compounds, which are benefit to other microbes and plants. Terrestrial Nitrogen-fixing Blue-green Algae are widely distributed in Gurbantunggut Desert. It was estimated that about 40% of the surface of the desert are covered by the "Black Crust". "Black Crust" is mainly occupied by Terrestrial Nitrogen-fixing Blue-green Algae. It is Terrestrial Nitrogen-fixing Blue-green Algae that construct the mechanical crust with a little other algae and fungi through biological, chemical and physical actions. So Terrestrial Nitrogen-fixing Blue-green Algae play an important part in desert fixation. It was analyzed that there are three species of the blue-greens in the "Black Crust": Microcoleus vaginatus(Vauch)Gom.,Scytonema ocellatum Lynbye and Schizothrix mella Gardner. We had isolated Microcoleus vaginatus(Vauch)Gom. and Scytonema ocellatum Lynbye. Some tests had been made to prove the feasibility of the desert fixation of the Blue-greens. Under experiment conditions, the blue-greens grown on the surface of sand, covered the sand quickly after the inoculation, and formed a mechanical fixed surface layer (7 days for Microcoleus vaginatus, 15-21 days for Scytonema ocellatum).

Date Published: 14 July 2003
PDF: 5 pages
Proc. SPIE 4890, Ecosystems Dynamics, Ecosystem-Society Interactions, and Remote Sensing Applications for Semi-Arid and Arid Land, (14 July 2003); doi: 10.1117/12.466462

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4890:
Ecosystems Dynamics, Ecosystem-Society Interactions, and Remote Sensing Applications for Semi-Arid and Arid Land
Xiaoling Pan; Wei Gao; Michael H. Glantz; Yoshiaki Honda, Editor(s)