Data and software code from two long-term experiments (1996-2011 and 2005-2018) at three sites on the Colorado Plateau of North America
Data for journal manuscript: Biocrust mediate new mechanism for land degradation under a changing climate
Dates
Publication Date
2021-12-15
Start Date
1996
End Date
2018
Citation
Phillips, M.L., Reed, S.C., Howell, A., Lauria, C.M., and Belnap, J., 2021, Data and software code from two long-term experiments (1996-2011 and 2005-2018) at three sites on the Colorado Plateau of North America: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9RUN1TP.
Summary
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 disturbance 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 [...]
Summary
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 disturbance 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.
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Biocrust_Experiment_Metadata.xml Original FGDC Metadata
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159.65 KB
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Biocrust_Experiment_Data.zip
186.24 KB
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BiocrustRecovery_R_Package.zip
913.46 MB
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Covercandidate1.JPG “Diverse community of biological soil crusts (biocrust) with lichens and mosses”
1.66 MB
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Related External Resources
Type: Related Primary Publication
Phillips, M.L., McNellis, B.E., Howell. A., Lauria, C.M., Belnap, J., and Reed, S.C., 2022, Biocrust mediate new mechanism for desertification under a changing climate: Nature Climate Change (online), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01249-6.
The purpose of these long-term experiment data are to examine how climate change affects biocrust recovery from both physical and climate-induced disturbance. Specifically, monitoring how biological soil crusts and soil stability respond to the legacy of mechanical disturbance and altered precipitation, including warming, and the combination of warming and the legacy of altered precipitation. Data were collected using field soil aggregate stability kits and 20 point-intercept frames, and PRISM Climate Data (https://prism.oregonstate.edu/) was acquired and processed to compare precipitation and temperature values at the three sites. These data were either acquired or collected and created to understand biocrust responses to disturbance and climate change. These data could be used by other researchers in synthesis efforts aimed at examining and understanding the fate of biological soil crusts under global change.
Rights
The author(s) of these data request that data users contact them regarding intended use and to assist with understanding limitations and interpretation. Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
Preview Image
Diverse community of biological soil crusts (biocrust) with lichens and mosses