Chamizo S. auteur aut IRD Belnap J. auteur aut IRD Eldridge D.J. auteur aut IRD Canton Y. auteur aut IRD Malam Issa Oumarou auteur aut IRD text bookSection eng text/pdf born digital access Biocrusts exert a strong influence on hydrological processes in drylands by modifying numerous soil properties that affect water retention and movement in soils. Yet, their role in these processes is not clearly understood due to the large number of factors that act simultaneously and can mask the biocrust effect. The influence of biocrusts on soil hydrology depends on biocrust intrinsic characteristics such as cover, composition, and external morphology, which differ greatly among climate regimes, but also on external factors as soil type, topography, and vegetation distribution patterns, as well as interactions among these factors. This chapter reviews the most recent literature published on the role of biocrusts in infiltration and runoff, soil moisture, evaporation, and non-rainfall water inputs (fog, dew, water absorption), in an attempt to elucidate the key factors that explain how biocrusts affect land hydrology. In addition to the crust type and site characteristics, recent studies point to the crucial importance of the type of rainfall and the spatial scale at which biocrust effects are analyzed to understand their role in hydrological processes. Future studies need to consider the temporal and spatial scale investigated to obtain more accurate generalizations on the role of biocrusts in land hydrology. specialized CROUTE BIOLOGIE DU SOL HUMIDITE DU SOL CYCLE HYDROLOGIQUE INFILTRATION RUISSELLEMENT EROSION ZONE ARIDE CHINE ESPAGNE ISRAEL ALLEMAGNE ETATS UNIS SLOVAQUIE NIGER 068EROSOL 062MECEAU Weber B. ed. edt IRD Büdel B. ed. edt IRD Belnap J. ed. edt IRD 226 321-346 Cham Springer 2016 226 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010071576 10.1007/978-3-319-30214-0_17 978-3-319-30214-0 [F B010071576] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010071576 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/depot/2018-05-16/010071576.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2018-05-17 2019-07-29 fdi:010071576 fre