The respiration of biological soil crusts is an important contribution to carbon cycling in arid and semiarid ecosystems, but soil crust responses to rainfall have not yet been fully investigated. In this study, we conducted a series of simulated rainfall experiments with different rainfall intensities (2, 4, 6, 10, 20, 30, 40 mm) for moss-dominated biological soil crusts (hereafter moss crusts) on loess and aeolian soils in the Loess Plateau of China. The soil respiration rates of the moss crusts were measured before and after the simulated rainfall with a portable CO₂/H₂O Analyzer (LI-COR LI-840). Afterwards, the soil respiration rates of the moss crusts with 40 mm rainfall were continually measured at 0-24 h (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 12, 24 h) after the rainfall. Finally, the soil respiration responses of the moss crusts to rainfall were determined from rainfall intensity and time after rainfall. The following results were obtained in this study. (1) The soil respiration rates of the moss crusts were consistently and significantly increased after the simulated rainfall. Compared with the soil respiration rates before the rainfall, the soil respiration rates of the moss crusts on loess soil were increased by 2.89-6.38 times, whereas the soil respiration rates of the moss crusts on aeolian soil were increased by 0.73-4.38 times. (2) In the 0-6 mm rainfall experiments, the soil respiration rates of the moss crusts, both on loess and aeolian soils, linearly increased with increasing rainfall. Correspondingly, in the 6-40 mm rainfall experiments, the soil respiration rates of the moss crusts on loess soil slightly increased with increasing rainfall, whereas the soil respiration rates of the moss crusts on aeolian soil sharply decreased with increasing rainfall. (3) Changes in soil respiration rates during 0-24 h after the rainfall event were similar for the moss crusts on loess and aeolian soils; they both rapidly increased immediately after the rainfall and then gradually decreased to their original levels before the rainfall during 0-24 h. The soil respiration rates of the moss crusts on loess soil reached their maximum values almost immediately after the rainfall event; however, the soil respiration rates of the moss crusts on aeolian soil reached their maximum values approximately 30 min after the rainfall event. (4) The soil respiration rates of the moss crusts on loess soil were 150.0% and 59.6% higher than that on aeolian soil under different rainfall intensities and at different times after the rainfall, respectively. (5) The soil respiration rates of the moss crusts were significantly positively correlated with surface soil water content (0-5 cm) when soil was dry ( < 4%). However, when soil was wet ( > 4%), the soil respiration rates of the moss crusts on loess soil were positively correlated with surface soil water content, but that on aeolian soil were negatively correlated with surface soil water content. From this study, we concluded that the soil respiration of the moss crusts on the Loess Plateau of China responded directly and sensitively to rainfall events, but the responses were different for the moss crusts on loess and aeolian soils. It appeared that the moss crusts on loess soil responded more efficiently to rainfall compared with that on aeolian soil.