Acid mine drainage is harmful to the environment. Bioremediation based on biological soil crusts (BSCs) can be used as a new method to alleviate metal pollution in acid mine drainage. In this study, we found that BSCs can survive in a strongly acidic environment (pH = 3.28) and have a high metal(loid)s accumulation ability. The algae of genera Fragilaria, Klebsormidium, Cymbella, Melosira, Microcystacea, and Planctonema a're the main components of BSCs. These organisms in the BSCs regulated fatty acids and produced acid-resistant enzymes. The b...
