TY - GEN A1 - Brankatschk, Robert A1 - Fischer, Thomas A1 - Veste, Maik A1 - Zeyer, Josef T1 - Succession of N Cycling Processes in Biological Soil Crusts on a Central European Inland Dune T2 - FEMS Microbiology Ecology N2 - Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are microbial assemblages that occur worldwide and facilitate ecosystem development by nitrogen (N) and carbon accumulation. N turnover within BSC ecosystems has been intensively studied in the past; however, shifts in the N cycle during BSC development have not been previously investigated. Our aim was to characterise N cycle development first by the abundance of the corresponding functional genes (in brackets) and second by potential enzyme activities; we focussed on the four processes: N fixation (nifH), mineralisation as proteolysis and chitinolysis (chiA), nitrification (amoA) and denitrification (nosZ). We sampled from four phases of BSC development and from a reference located in the rooting zone of Corynephorus canescens, on an inland dune in Germany. BSC development was associated with increasing amounts of chlorophyll, organic carbon and N. Potential activities increased and were highest in developed BSCs. Similarly, the abundance of functional genes increased. We propose and discuss three stages of N process succession. First, the heterotrophic stage (mobile sand without BSCs) is dominated by mineralisation activity. Second, during the transition stage (initial BSCs), N accumulates, and potential nitrification and denitrification activity increases. Third, the developed stage (established BSCs and reference) is characterised by the dominance of nitrification. Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2012.01459.x SN - 1574-6941 VL - 83 IS - 1 SP - 149 EP - 160 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Lazzaro, Anna A1 - Risse-Buhl, Ute A1 - Brankatschk, Robert T1 - Molecular and morphological snapshot characterisation of the protist communities in contrasting alpine glacier forefields T2 - Acta Protozoologica KW - Ciliates Y1 - 2015 SN - 0065-1583 SN - 1689-0027 VL - 54 IS - 2 SP - 143 EP - 154 ER -