Macromolecular and chemical features of the excreted extracellular polysaccharides in induced biological soil crusts of different ages

The results obtained suggest that the colloidal fraction of the EPSs, which is more dispersed in the soil, is more easily degradable by the microflora, while the EPS fraction tightly bound to the soil particles, which is characterized by a high MW, plays a key role in giving a structural stability to the crusts and in affecting the hydrological behavior of the soil covered by IBSCs.