Bettina Weber describes the so-called cryptogam communities—comprising mosses, lichens, fungi, cyanobacteria and other bacteria—as “hidden beauties”. Her interest in them had already taken hold whilst she was studying at the University of Würzburg. “Many people asked me what the point of it all was. That drove me to investigate the significance of these miniature communities in globally relevant processes,” recalls the professor at the Institute of Biology at the University of Graz. A particular focus of her work is on biological soil crusts, which are substantial primarily in arid regions, but also in Arctic and high-alpine regions. As part of her research, Bettina Weber has produced the first and so far only global distribution map for soil crusts. They cover around twelve per cent of the Earth’s surface worldwide. In arid regions, they account for as much as a third. The largest areas are found in Africa, Asia, Australia and the Midwestern United States. These communities stabilise the soil, have a natural fertilising effect and thereby protect against desertification.
In her work, Bettina Weber has shown that cryptogam communities play a significant role in the global nitrogen cycle. This is due, on the one hand, to their importance in natural nitrogen fixation, but also, on the other hand, to the release of climate-relevant compounds of the element. Furthermore, her studies have shown that soil crusts effectively prevent the release of desert dust, thereby fulfilling a vital role for the climate and human health. Bettina Weber therefore warns against their disappearance: “Climate change and increasing land use are threatening soil crusts, meaning that up to 40 per cent could be lost by 2070.” For this reason, raising awareness of the importance and conservation of these biological communities, both in school classrooms and among relevant stakeholders such as farmers and conservationists, represents another aspect of her work.
“Bettina Weber is shaping research into biocrusts and cryptogam communities and exerting a lasting influence on global environmental science,” stated the European Geosciences Union, which brings together around 20,000 scientists worldwide. It awarded Weber the Alina Kabata-Pendias Medal at its annual meeting on 5 May 2026 in Vienna.