We have all kinds of weather today and some rain, not much by Queensland standards, 0.2 mm. Nevertheless it still sounds nice on a tin roof.

We spent some time on the beach, a passing low pressure system created some stormy looking skies and stirred up the ocean water. After scaling a limestone outcrop close to Kanidal Beach we get a better look down and up the beach and inland across the Limestone Track.

It seems in the natural world that the little things drive or influence other systems, biocrust is one example.

There are incredibly important communities of living organisms beneath our feet that most people are completely unaware of, but which we should appreciate because they play incredibly important roles in building soil fertility and preventing erosion. They are the biological soil crusts, otherwise known as cryptogamic soil crusts or biocrusts.

Next time you’re in nature, get down close to the ground and you’ll find that there is often a crusty layer of miniature and microscopic life binding the soil surface. It’s made up of fungi, lichens, algaes, cyanobacteria and bryophytes such as mosses and liverworts. Such crusts are especially prevalent in arid and semiarid regions where vegetation is sparse and the soil surface is more exposed to light.

The cyanobacteria and bryophytes photosynthesise, adding carbon to the surface layers of soils. Cyanobacteria also fix nitrogen, taking it from the air and converting it into a form that can be used by plants.

Source: Bush Heritage.

These biocrusts are quite beautiful, and mixture of Cyanobacteria, Moss, Lichen, fungi and other miniature life forms.

The loss of these crusts also makes soil much more vulnerable to erosion by rain and flowing water. Well-developed soil crusts have a thick, rough surface which prevents rain drops from breaking up the soil surface, soaking up moisture then letting it slowly penetrate.

Biological soil crusts even act to reduce fire intensity. Where they are intact, the seeds of weedy grasses are less able to germinate and as a result, fuel loads are reduced.

Depending on aridity and soil texture, biological soil crusts can take anywhere between a few and thousands of years to reform after being damaged or destroyed. Therefore, it’s incredibly important that land is managed to protect them, especially in arid regions.