Cyanobacterium in a microhabitat
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Cyanobacterium in a microhabitat

by Vincent Felde, University of Hannover, Germany, Hannover, Germany

Cyanobacterium (Microcoleus) living in a microhabitat between two soil crust lichens (Collema). The higher content of fines that is trapped by the high surface roughness of the lichens causes a higher water holding capacity, while at the same time, the lichens protect the cyanobacterium from direct sunlight. Thin section of a biological soil crust from the NW Negev Desert, Israel.