Data and software code from two long-term experiments (1996-2011 and 2005-2018) at three sites on the Colorado Plateau of North America

These data were compiled to examine how climate change affects biocrust recovery from both physical and climate-induced disturbance. Objective(s) of our study were to uncover the trajectory of biological soil crust communities and soil stability following distrubance and under warming. These data represent biological soil crust surveys under 5 treatments at three sites. These data were collected at three sites: Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park and Castle Valley. Data collection for a physical disturbance experiment where annual human-trampling occurred at the sites in Arches and Canyonlands began in 1996 and was concluded in 2018. Data collection for a 13-year full-factorial in situ climate manipulation experiment (undisturbed control, warming, altered precipitation, warming + altered precipitation) in Castle Valley began in 2005 and was concluded in 2018. These data were collected by U.S. Geological Survey technicians using field surveys of biological soil crusts and soil stability. These data can be used to track biological soil crust communities and soil stability through time under climate manipulation and physical disturbance treatments.