DFG Trilateral collaboration Deutschland-Israel-Palestine: "Biotic and abiotic factor affecting biological soil crust formation and recovery in a semiarid dune ecosystem : Gaza and NW Negev"

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Sandy soils of the arid/semiarid dune fields of the Palestinian Gaza Strip and the Israeli western Negev are extensively covered by biological soil crusts (BSC), which stabilize the surface and prevent desertification. Political discussions in Israel suggest transferring a large part of this sand belt to the Gaza Strip within a final peace accord. Inappropriate land uses may lead to destruction of the BSC and initiate desertification, as already occurring in parts of the Gaza Strip. In this interdisciplinary project the influence of environmental factors on the vitality, stability and the recovery potential of the BSC will be investigated in order to evaluate the carrying capacity of this fragile landscape, in relation to rainfall, soil and relief conditions. A transect stretching from the Mediterranean coast in the Palestinian Gaza Strip (370 mm rainfall) to 65 km southwards in Israel ( Nizzana , < 100 mm rainfall) has been selected. The interactions of molecular biological, physiological, physical and soil chemical processes, expressed in specific characteristics of the BSC and the underlying soil, will be assessed from the molecular to the landscape scale.