Cryptogamic soil crusts: Recovery from grazing near Camp Floyd State Park, Utah, USA
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Authors: J. R. Johansen, and L. L. St. Clair
Date: 1986
Journal: Great Basin Naturalist
Volume: 46
Number: 4
Pages: 632-640
Summary of Methods: The authors compared cryptogamic crust recovery after 7 years of grazing exclusion with a similar area which had been ungrazed for 20 years. The soil characteristics, living algae, subfossil diatoms, lichen and moss, and vascular plant cover were compared between the two sites. The algae and diatom communities were not significantly different between the two sites, showing that those portions of the cryptogamic community can recover in 7 years. However, the lichen and moss communities were different between sites, with lower levels of most species in the 7 year site. A greater cover of vascular plants was observed in the 20 year site, although this may have been due to temporal differences in sampling. Overall, the cryptogamic community had partially recovered in the 7 years without grazing, although the authors caution that the several years before the study were unusually wet, possibly increasing the recovery rate.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: cryptogamic crust, grazing recovery, plant communities, grazing exclosure, soil characteristics, plant cover
Annotation: From 1935 until the establishment and subsequent fencing of the park area, the 1,600 ha of shrubland immediately around the cemetery were heavily grazed by sheep and cattle during the winter months. Fencing of the park property has eliminated grazing in the park since 1962. The area outside the park continued to be heavily grazed until 1975, at which time livestock were removed from this range.
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