Association of ant nests with successional stages of biological soil crusts in the Tengger Desert, Northern China

▶ Development of biological soil crusts facilitates ant establishment on dunes surface. ▶ Mosses and lichen-dominated crusts supported higher ant species richness. ▶ Ant nest density is largely dependent on the biomass and thickness of crusts and topsoil. ▶ Various disturbances on crusts may result in decreased ant diversity in dune systems.