The Chinese Academy of Sciences will launch a bio-carpet desertification control project
The annual expansion rate of desertification in my country has increased from 1,860 square kilometers in the 1970s to 3,436 square kilometers, which is a comprehensive and coordinated development of our country’s society and economy. , posing serious threats to sustainable development. According to the important progress made in the National Natural Science Foundation key project "Research on the Formation Mechanism of Biological Crusts on Desert Surfaces and Its Application in Desertification Prevention" directed by Dr. Zhang Yuanming, a researcher at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Bureau of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences plans to cooperate with China Scientists from the Institute of Microbiology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Institute of Hydrobiology, Institute of Cold and Arid Regions Environment and Engineering, Chengdu Institute of Biology, and Institute of Plasma of the Academy of Sciences, led by Academician Wei Jiangchun, launched the "Biological Carpet Desertification Control Project" and applied for it National “863” plan project.
The overall idea of ??the bio-carpet desertification control project is to use the naturally formed carpets or micro-biological crusts unique to arid and semi-arid desert areas as a "template" and to "replicate" them through modern biotechnology. , covering the desert with a carpet of microscopic biocrusts. The research contents to be carried out include: research on the formation and sand fixation mechanism of micro-biocrusts; research on the structure and function of the main organisms in micro-biocrusts; research on the adaptation mechanisms of crust organism species; and the composition of the biomass community of crust organisms. , survival mechanism and artificial culture research; laboratory simulation and analysis; research and development of biochemical composite matrix for desertification prevention and control; large-scale production of micro-biological crust organisms and field implantation test demonstration research of artificially bred crusts, etc. .
Research on biological soil crusts, as an international research frontier, still focuses on basic research on mechanisms and mechanisms. The "Biological Carpet Desertification Control Project" uses a visual summary to summarize this for the first time. This research field leads to practicality and industrialization, adding low-cost and efficient new force to the prevention and control of desertification. It reflects the power of knowledge innovation and has very important and far-reaching significance.
Biological crusts on desert surfaces—a new way to prevent and control desertification
Presided over by Dr. Zhang Yuanming, researcher at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences and winner of the Second Xinjiang Youth Science and Technology Award The National Science Foundation Key Fund Project "Research on the Formation Mechanism of Desert Surface Biological Crust and Its Application in Desertification Prevention and Control" has made important progress. The research results provide low-cost, high-efficiency and high-ecology solutions for desertification prevention and control in desertification areas. New ways to benefit.
Surface crust is a natural phenomenon widely distributed on the land surface and is also common in arid and semi-arid areas. The biological crust is a product of the special environment in arid desert areas. It is an organic complex formed by bacteria, fungi, blue-green algae, lichens and bryophytes and soil. Its formation makes the soil surface significantly different from loose sand in physical, chemical and biological properties. It has strong resistance to wind erosion and important ecological and geological effects, and has become an important basis for vegetation succession in desert areas. Desert surface biological crusts can survive in extreme drought, high temperature (up to 70°C) and high pH environments due to their unique physiological and ecological processes. Its functions are as follows: underground mycelium and rhizomes can bind sand grains, effectively reduce wind and water erosion on the surface, greatly reduce the investment cost of sand prevention and sand fixation, and effectively improve the ecological environment; some biological crusts Species can fix nitrogen in the atmosphere, play an important role in improving soil physical and chemical properties and increasing soil organic matter content, thereby creating favorable conditions for the settlement of vascular plants, and ultimately playing a role in fixing quicksand; the emergence and development of biological crusts It indicates the evolutionary stage of the transformation from mobile desert to fixed and semi-fixed desert, and can be used as an indicator for ecological environment health evaluation. Its spatiotemporal changes can reveal the evolution trend of the ecological environment in arid desert areas and the response to global changes.
The formation of biological crust needs to go through the "pre" algae crust stage to the lichen and moss crust stage. At this point, the crust is most fully developed, with its water storage capacity, resistance to mechanical damage and sand fixation ability. The strongest. This process may be terminated or even reversed due to frequent human activities, causing local sand to rise; or it may be strengthened by appropriate protection measures to exert a good sand fixation effect.
Under appropriate protection, biological crusts can develop and grow through artificially assisted conditions and "inoculation" measures, thereby promoting the recovery and reconstruction of degraded ecosystems. Compared with the current method of planting trees and grass to prevent wind and sand, the investment is greatly reduced, the ecological adaptability is strong, and generally no additional irrigation conditions are required.
Currently, this research is being carried out in depth and ways of large-scale application are being actively explored. The protection of biological crust resources has been listed as the highest priority in desert ecosystem management and has received widespread attention. It can be expected that biological crusts are widely used in desertification prevention and control and have broad prospects.