Theory 41/Desert & Dryland/Biological soil crusts
Crusts Need a Disturbance Interval
The claim
Biological soil crusts recover only when the disturbance interval exceeds the time needed to rebuild the community, so frequent trampling keeps them in an early state.
01Mechanism
Crusts are slow-growing communities of cyanobacteria, lichens and mosses; recovery requires an interval without disruption.
02Prediction
Recovery should track the interval.
03Refutation
Recovery tracking total disturbance would remove timing.