Cryptogam crust data from the long-term Small Mammal Exclosure Study (SMES) at Jornada Basin LTER, 1995-2005

This data package contains cryptogam cover data from plots with various levels of herbivore exclusion on Jornada Experimental Range (JER) and Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (CDRRC) lands. Study sites were established in 1995; one in black grama grassland and the other in creosotebush shrubland to compare the impact of herbivores on ecosystem processes between these vegetation types. Parallel studies were established at the Sevilleta LTER site (New Mexico, USA) and Mapimi Biosphere Reserve (Durango, Mexico). Each study site is 1 km by 0.5 km in area. Four replicate experimental blocks were randomly located at each study site to measure vegetation responses using exclusion treatments including a) all mammalian herbivores, including cattle, lagomorphs, and rodents, b) lagomorphs and cattle only, c) cattle only, and d) control accessible to all herbivores. Thirty-six sampling points were positioned at 5.8-meter intervals on a systematically located 6 by 6 point grid within each plot. A permanent one-meter by one-meter vegetation measurement quadrat is located at each of the 36 points. Each year in spring and fall from 1995-2005, the percent of a quadrat covered in cryptogams was estimated by summing the percent of each 10 cm square within a quadrat (including 100 10-cm squares) containing cryptogams (See methods for a detailed explanation). Cryptogams (biological soil crusts) include lichens, algae, cyanobacteria, and moss. This study is complete. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Website Pointer to html file. File Name: Web Page, url: https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-jrn&identifier=210086003 Webpage with information and links to data files for download