drymicrohabitats
Dry microhabitats are small-scale pockets of the environment where moisture remains persistently scarce compared with the surrounding area. They occur across climate zones, from deserts and alpine environments to temperate forests and urban landscapes. These microhabitats form where physical factors such as soil texture and structure, grain size, aspect and slope, rock cover, and canopy shading create conditions that slow evapotranspiration and trap air or heat in confined spaces. They can be permanent features of a landscape or transient, changing with weather, season, and disturbance.
Common dry microhabitats include rock crevices and talus, under loose stones or bark slabs, soil cracks that
Organisms adapted to dry microhabitats range from desiccation-tolerant invertebrates and fungi to seeds and other propagules
Research methods include microclimate sensors, soil moisture probes, and isotopic or dye tracers, complemented by controlled