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Biological soil crusts result from intimate associations between soil particles and cyanobacteria, algae, lichens and/or bryophytes (mosses) living on and in the surface few millimeters of the soil. They are most common in arid and semi-arid areas. Biological crusts play important roles in primary productivity, nutrient cycling, hydrology, and soil stability. They are easily damaged by fire, off-road vehicles, livestock trampling, and surface mining. Depending on the nature of the disturbance, recovery times can be very lengthy. It may seem logical to attempt to accelerate biological crust recovery by inoculating disturbed sites with crust organisms. However, attempts to date have been largely unsuccessful and prohibitively expensive. The field of aerobiology may provide insight into natural, passive recovery processes. The field of aerobiology was developed for the purpose of identifying airborne algae, cyanobacteria, etc., that induce allergies and other medical issues. Aerobiologists have collected and subsequently identified numerous airborne organisms in the atmosphere. Only a very small percentage of the collected organisms, however, have been linked to medical issues. Yet, a large number of them are significant components of biological soil crusts. There have been few published links between airborne organisms and biological soil. Nevertheless, such airborne organisms seem to be essential for natural crust establishment and restoration following disturbance. The processes of aerosolization, transport and deposition are natural and widespread. There seem to be logical reasons that artificial restoration attempts have been largely unsuccessful, and why natural, passive mechanisms of airborne crust dispersal provide the answer.