cryptobiotic crust
krip-toh-by-OT-ik
A living skin on the surface of desert soil, formed by a community of cyanobacteria, mosses, lichens, fungi, and algae that bind soil particles together into a dark, lumpy, fragile crust. Cryptobiotic crusts fix nitrogen, retain moisture, resist wind erosion, and create the conditions for other plants to establish. They are the desert's topsoil — built over decades or centuries, destroyed by a single footstep. On the Colorado Plateau, the crust is nearly everywhere.
Etymology
From Greek kryptos (hidden) + bios (life) + -tic. Hidden life — the organisms are invisible to the casual eye, but the crust they build is not. Also called biological soil crust, biocrust, or, colloquially, "crypto."
Notes
Perhaps single most fragile and underappreciated feature of the Desert Southwest. Remember to "tiptoe through the crypto" and "don't bust the crust."
This video featuring Kristina Young, biocrust superfan and founder of Science Moab, is a terrific primer.
This video featuring Kristina Young, biocrust superfan and founder of Science Moab, is a terrific primer.
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