Bioturbation and soil resistance to wind erosion in Southern Tunisia

Wind erosion is a major threat to the sustainability of arid and semi-arid ecosystems. In these environments, biological soil crusts positively impact resistance erosion. Less known, however, on bioturbation by animals. Southern Tunisia, mainly carried out termites, ants rodents which deposit mineral organic components surface in form sheetings for termites or as heaps rodents. We here question properties soils measure their wind showed that are made sand grains linked together bridges matter, clay particles other small size minerals such carbonates gypsum. The stability aggregates comparable crusts, despite very different organizations. Conversely, excavated consists individual grains, impoverished carbon prone conclusion, this study highlights importance key bioturbator, dynamics Tunisia. It also shows they have an opposite effect than