Biological soil crust science forum, August 6, Kanab, Utah

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement on their grazing plan. Previously there was a scoping period in which members of the public were invited to submit comments. A major theme in the comments was biocrusts. In response to this, the Monument is organizing a moderated public forum in which a panel will answer questions submitted by the general public. The event will be at the Kanab, Utah city library (9:00 am - 4:00 pm Mountain Standard Time), and will also be broadcast live online. I have agreed to join the panel, as have Jayne Belnap, Janis Boettinger, Fee Busby and Kim Anderson.

Official News Release
Lake Powell News Article (this link loads faster)
Agenda
Watch Live online here

Post-doc job announcement in Barger Lab, University of Colorado Boulder

Post-Doctoral Research Associate – University of Colorado Boulder – Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

A two-year post-doctoral research associate position will be available in Nichole Barger’s lab at the University of Colorado – Boulder. The successful candidate will work on a newly funded project to examine plant and soil responses to biological soil crust restoration. The post-doctoral research associate will oversee field research at Hill Air Force Base in the Great Basin and Jornada Experimental Range in the Chihuahuan Desert. This work will occur in close collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of scientists who specialize in soil microbiology (Ferran Garcia-Pichel, Arizona State University), soil ecology (Matthew Bowker, Northern Arizona University and Jayne Belnap USGS), ecosystem ecology (Sasha Reed, USG) and soil science (Mike Duniway, USGS).  We are seeking a highly motivated and energetic applicant with specialties in ecosystem ecology/biogeochemistry, plant ecology, or soil ecology. Expertise in aridland ecology is a plus.  The start date is flexible ranging from December 2014 through February 2015. If you are interested please send a brief letter of interest and a current CV to Nichole Barger at nichole.barger@colorado.edu.

Colorado Arts & Sciences Magazine: Can biological soil crust communities be restored?

Nice, recent article on our biocrust restoration project on military lands (led by Nichole Barger with a team consisting of Ferran Garcia-Pichel, Ana Giraldo, Sergio Velasco, myself, Anita Antoninka, Jayne Belnap, Sasha Reed, & Mike Duniway) here.

Ana Giraldo tending her cyanobacterial cultures in the Garcia-Pichel lab (Arizona State University)

Way Overdue: A First-Ever Grazing Plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Way Overdue: A First-Ever Grazing Plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

The comment period on the Grand Staircase-Escalante NM Grazing Plan is open.

Ecological thresholds report

Not exactly biocrust-focused, but biocrusts turn up repeatedly in this report.


Bowker, M.A., Miller, M.E., Belote, R.T., and Garman, S.L., 2013, Ecological thresholds as a basis for defining management triggers for National Park Service vital signs—Case studies for dryland ecosystems: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2013–1244, 94 p., 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1244/

Introduction

Threshold concepts are used in research and management of ecological systems to describe and interpret abrupt and persistent reorganization of ecosystem properties (Walker and Meyers, 2004; Groffman and others, 2006). Abrupt change, referred to as a threshold crossing, and the progression of reorganization can be triggered by one or more interactive disturbances such as land-use activities and climatic events (Paine and others, 1998). Threshold crossings occur when feedback mechanisms that typically absorb forces of change are replaced with those that promote development of alternative equilibria or states (Suding and others, 2004; Walker and Meyers, 2004; Briske and others, 2008). The alternative states that emerge from a threshold crossing vary and often exhibit reduced ecological integrity and value in terms of management goals relative to the original or reference system. Alternative stable states with some limited residual properties of the original system may develop along the progression after a crossing; an eventual outcome may be the complete loss of pre-threshold properties of the original ecosystem. Reverting to the more desirable reference state through ecological restoration becomes increasingly difficult and expensive along the progression gradient and may eventually become impossible. Ecological threshold concepts have been applied as a heuristic framework and to aid in the management of rangelands (Bestelmeyer, 2006; Briske and others, 2006, 2008), aquatic (Scheffer and others, 1993; Rapport and Whitford 1999), riparian (Stringham and others, 2001; Scott and others, 2005), and forested ecosystems (Allen and others, 2002; Digiovinazzo and others, 2010). These concepts are also topical in ecological restoration (Hobbs and Norton 1996; Whisenant 1999; Suding and others, 2004; King and Hobbs, 2006) and ecosystem sustainability (Herrick, 2000; Chapin and others, 1996; Davenport and others, 1998).

Achieving conservation management goals requires the protection of resources within the range of desired conditions (Cook and others, 2010). The goal of conservation management for natural resources in the U.S. National Park System is to maintain native species and habitat unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. Achieving this goal requires, in part, early detection of system change and timely implementation of remediation. The recent National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring program (NPS I&M) was established to provide early warning of declining ecosystem conditions relative to a desired native or reference system (Fancy and others, 2009). To be an effective tool for resource protection, monitoring must be designed to alert managers of impending thresholds so that preventive actions can be taken. This requires an understanding of the ecosystem attributes and processes associated with threshold-type behavior; how these attributes and processes become degraded; and how risks of degradation vary among ecosystems and in relation to environmental factors such as soil properties, climatic conditions, and exposure to stressors. In general, the utility of the threshold concept for long-term monitoring depends on the ability of scientists and managers to detect, predict, and prevent the occurrence of threshold crossings associated with persistent, undesirable shifts among ecosystem states (Briske and others, 2006). Because of the scientific challenges associated with understanding these factors, the application of threshold concepts to monitoring designs has been very limited to date (Groffman and others, 2006). As a case in point, the monitoring efforts across the 32 NPS I&M networks were largely designed with the knowledge that they would not be used to their full potential until the development of a systematic method for understanding threshold dynamics and methods for estimating key attributes of threshold crossings.

This report describes and demonstrates a generalized approach that we implemented to formalize understanding and estimating of threshold dynamics for terrestrial dryland ecosystems in national parks of the Colorado Plateau. We provide a structured approach to identify and describe degradation processes associated with threshold behavior and to estimate indicator levels that characterize the point at which a threshold crossing has occurred or is imminent (tipping points) or points where investigative or preventive management action should be triggered (assessment points). We illustrate this method for several case studies in national parks included in the Northern and Southern Colorado Plateau NPS I&M networks, where historical livestock grazing, climatic change, and invasive species are key agents of change. The approaches developed in these case studies are intended to enhance the design, effectiveness, and management-relevance of monitoring efforts in support of conservation management in dryland systems. They specifically enhance National Park Service (NPS) capacity for protecting park resources on the Colorado Plateau but have applicability to monitoring and conservation management of dryland ecosystems worldwide.

Species of concern on the Colorado Plateau: Mosses & Lichens

Preface: nearly a decade ago I was asked to contribute to a book about species of concern in the Colorado Plateau ecoregion focusing on all taxa. I drafted up a section about mosses and lichens, focusing on gypsiferous species of biocrusts, which is a rare habitat. There are no federally listed mosses or lichens, not because they don't exist, but rather because the Endangered Species Act categorically excludes them. 

I asked Roger Rosentreter (lichenologist), and Lloyd Stark (bryologist) for tips on other non-gypsiferous species I ought to mention. 

Having heard nothing about the book in many years, I think I can assume the project is dead. In the meantime, I reckon its more useful here than on an old hard drive in an obsolete file format. I've supplemented it with links to images from the web, if they exist.

Regarding status, vulnerable means that it could conceivably be extirpated. For example rarity of habitat would render something vulnerable. At risk refers to a vulnerable species that is threatened by a stressor. 

MOSSES AND LICHENS OF GYPSIFEROUS SOILS

NODULE CRACKED LICHEN

Acarospora nodulosa ssp. nodulosa

Status in region: At risk

Status elsewhere: At risk in the Americas

DESCRIPTION ~ Nodule cracked lichen was first encountered in the Americas in the mid-1980's, and has been found to be locally common species confined to the gypsiferous soils of the Colorado Plateau. Although it is has a widespread distribution around the world, its preference for a very rare habitat type in North America makes it a species of concern. This lichen is composed of many scales of ~3-5 mm diameter with lobed margins. Generally the appearance of the lichen is white due to a covering of oxalate salts, but the thallus underneath is actually pale brown. It has black fruiting bodies immersed in the thallus that lack any kind of rim around them. Colonies are irregularly shaped and generally less than 5 cm in diameter.

Vulnerability Factors: Habitat specialist, restricted range

NEVADA GYPSUM MOSS

Didymodon nevadensis

Status in Region: At risk

Status in other regions: At risk

DESCRIPTION~ This rare moss was recently described in 1995 as a result of morphologically well-developed collections made during California bearpoppy studies. Nevada gypsum moss appears to be a widely but sparsely distributed species of western North America, almost exclusively on gypsiferous soils. It is distinguished by other mosses of the same habitat by its lack of an awn (hair-like projection) on its leaf tips, and its dark green to black leaves that tend to spiral around the stem near the top. Its small stature (usually < 2mm tall) makes a handlens a must to observe these features. Many desert mosses have skewed sex ratios, but to date a male individual of this species has yet to be found making it one of the champions.

Vulnerability Factors: Habitat specialist, restricted range, possible low genetic diversity due to lack of sexual reproduction

DESERT CRATER LICHEN

Diploschistes diacapsis

Status in region: Vulnerable {EDITORIAL NOTE: THIS SPECIES IS QUITE ABUNDANT, EVEN DOMINANT IN A RARE HABITAT TYPE}

Status elsewhere: Widespread and stable

DESCRIPTION ~ Desert crater lichen is found on several continents but on the Colorado Plateau it is strongly restricted to the rare gypsiferous soils where large white populations can be visually impressive. This lichen forms rather large colonies often exceeding 5cm in diameter and is pure white. It tends to have a rugose, undulating surface and has large (~ 2mm) black fruiting bodies which are bowl shaped and sunken into the thallus surface like a crater. This species tends to have a very clumped distribution, so if you find some you are likely to find a lot.

Vulnerability factors: habitat specialist, restricted range

LARGELEAF GYPSUM LICHEN

Gypsoplaca macrophylla

Status in region: At risk

Status elsewhere: At risk globally

DESCRIPTION ~ Largeleaf gypsum lichen has been confusing lichenologists since the 1920's, and was not discovered in the US until 1990. Its unique fruiting body which grades into the vegetative thallus afforded it a designation as a new genus solely representing a new family, Gypsoplacaceae. It is a squamulose lichen with olive - tan squamules (scale-like mini thalli) usually about 0.5 - 1 cm in diameter. The fruiting bodies, when present, look like upraised brick red swellings on the squamules and may be irregular to dome shaped. Although fairly large in the soil lichen world, colonies are usually less than 5cm in diameter. This species is a rare one even within its specialized habitat which is also rare.

Vulnerability Factors: Low population density, habitat specialist, restricted range.

GYPSUM-LOVING RIM LICHEN

Lecanora gypsicola

Status in region: At risk

Status elsewhere: At risk globally

DESCRIPTION ~ This lichen was unknown to science until collected in the San Rafael Swell in 1998, and has since been observed at scattered locations around the Colorado Plateau. Gypsum-loving rim lichen is chalky white to ashy gray and forms a tightly adhering crust on the soil surface. Its thallus (vegetative portion) is divided into small partitions called areoles. It bears black disk shaped fruiting bodies (1-2 mm dia.) with a white margin that are flush with or sitting slightly atop the thallus. A typical specimen is about 3 - 5 cm in diameter and irregularly shaped.

Vulnerability Factors: Habitat specialist, restricted range.

Habitat: These species are strongly restricted to arid and semi-arid sites with gypsiferous soils such as those derived from gypsum-bearing portions of the Carmel  Formation, the Paradox Formation, and the Moenkopi Formation (most of which occur at 5000 - 6500 ft). Such sites are found across southern Utah and in southwestern Colorado. They occur as components of the conspicuously well developed biological soil crusts generally found on these soils.

Threats and Concerns: On the Colorado Plateau, these species are endemic to an inherently rare habitat type, and are uncommon to rare within that habitat type even when undisturbed. Largeleaf gypsum lichen is a rare species even within this special habitat type. Most of the gypsum soils of the plateau are degraded to some extent by livestock activity and off road vehicle use, and truly undisturbed examples may be lacking. As population growth continues in the region, economical exploitation of the more pure gypsum deposits may occur to satisfy demand for products such as drywall. Gypsum areas are particularly popular with users of dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles.

Conservation: When planning road and trail construction, gypsum areas should be avoided whenever possible. Enforcement of off-road vehicle regulations should be prioritized in these areas. Plant cover is poor on gypsum soils, therefore they offer relatively little forage value to livestock. Grazing of these fragile habitats could and should be phased out without creating major economic impacts. Because gypsiferous soils generally occur in relatively small patches, a network of small fenced reserves could potentially maintain the endemic biota.

Notes: Because several soil crust species and some vascular plant species are rare gypsum endemics, and gypsum soils cover very little area, it is practical and possible to conserve them all by conserving the habitat in small reserves. We thank Dr. Larry St. Clair of BYU for sharing his expertise on gypsiferous lichens, and Dr. Lloyd Stark of UNLV for information pertaining to Didymodon nevadensis.

OTHER MOSSES AND LICHENS OF CONCERN

LITTLE FRINGE MOSS

Crossidium seriatum

Status in region: Unknown

Status elsewhere: At risk globally

DESCRIPTION ~ This little fringe moss is an extremely rare western North American soil moss with a primarily hot desert distribution. It has never been collected in the Colorado Plateau but likely occurs in the more xeric portions, albeit very rarely. Although this species cannot be separated from lookalikes in the field, perhaps its best identifying characteristic is its extremely small size. A typical field specimen is frequently less than 0.5 mm tall and although it does generally have a white hairlike point on its leaf tips, it never appears as a white hairy cushion. With the naked eye, individuals look like little black dots.

Vulnerability Factors: Low population density, restricted range

Habitat: This moss occurs on sandy or gypsiferous soils of aridlands. Dr. Lloyd Stark suggests that this species is primarily centered around the gypsiferous soils near Lake Mead, thus its most likely habitat on the Colorado Plateau includes the more xeric gypsiferous substrates at the margins of the Colorado Plateau ecoregion such as those near St. George, Utah. Other possible localities include exposures of the Paradox formation in Cataract Canyon and adjacent side canyons.

Threats and concerns: Soil disturbances of various sorts are the most likely stressors: foot traffic, livestock grazing, and off road vehicles.

Conservation: Initially, the best strategy is simply to determine that the species does indeed occur on the Colorado Plateau so that the habitat characteristics can be better defined and stressors better identified. As a preemptive strategy, gypsiferous habit reserves should be developed as described previously. Fortunately, the most likely localities for this species happen to be in protected areas (Canyonlands National Park, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area), but they could potentially be impacted by river users.

Entosthodon planoconvexus

Status in region: Vulnerable

Status elsewhere: Globally vulnerable

DESCRIPTION ~ This exceedingly rare moss is known on the Colorado Plateau from only one location in Canyonlands (deposited by the author at the National Park Service Southeast Utah Group's herbarium in Moab, Utah), and is known from only four other collections worldwide. Entosthodon planoconvexus is a short moss with rather large yellowish green leaves that are spreading when moist and shriveled when dry. Its sporophyte, when present, consists of an upside-down pear-shaped capsule borne on a reddish stalk.

Vulnerability factors: Low population density

Habitat: Because of its rarity, the habitat of this species is poorly defined although it tends to occur on dry soil at the base of rocks. The Canyonlands specimen grew in a dry sandy soil layer over rock and adjacent to a rock outcrop. It is an occasional associate of liverworts of the genus Targionia.

Threats and Concerns: The main concerns with Entosthodon planoconvexus are its naturally highly isolated small populations. Because it tends to grow in at least partially protected habitats, the population is likely stable, however stochastic events or disturbance could easily drive this species locally extinct. Livestock and recreation impacts are the most likely anthropogenic stressors of this species.

Conservation: It is difficult to recommend conservation strategies for this species without knowing what potential stressors are. Perhaps the best strategy is simply to determine where the species occurs so that the habitat characteristics can be better defined and stressors identified. Currently, bryophytes are not generally included in inventory and monitoring projects.

Notes: Dr. Lloyd Stark of UNLV provided helpful information on this species.

MINNESOTA ROCK LICORICE

Lichinella minnesotensis

Status in Region: Unknown

Status elsewhere: Possibly vulnerable in western North America

DESCRIPTION~ This rock licorice lichen is apparently a North American endemic with a primarily eastern distribution. There are some rather disjunct collections from the midwest and west including a single collection from near Kanab, Utah. This black lichen is composed of clumps of ascending convoluted lobes. It is jelly like and semi-transparent when wet. Colonies are generally only about 1 cm in diameter.

Vulnerability Factors: Isolated populations

Habitat: Minnesota rock licorice is found in shallow fissures or crevices on rock outcrops. The sole Colorado Plateau collection was from a limestone substrate of the Timpoweap member of the Moenkopi formation in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It is difficult to characterize the habitat characteristics of this species on the Colorado Plateau because only one collection has been made.

Threats and Concerns: It is unknown whether this species is threatened by anthropogenic forces, buts its rarity in the region suggest it is vulnerable. Fortunately, its habitat type affords considerable protection.

Conservation: It is difficult to recommend conservation strategies for this species without knowing what potential stressors are. Perhaps the best strategy is simply to determine where the species occurs so that the habitat characteristics can be better defined and stressors identified if they exist. Currently, lichens are not generally included in inventory and monitoring projects.

Notes: Dr. Roger Rosentreter of the BLM provided information on his Kanab-area collection of this species.

HAIRY MOUTH MOSS

Trichostonum sweetii

Status in region: Vulnerable

Status elsewhere: Globally vulnerable

DESCRIPTION ~ Hairy mouth moss is known from only three collections on the Colorado Plateau (one a dubious identification) and only a handful more from western North America where it is endemic. This is a fairly large moss for arid regions (up to 2cm tall) and is an inhabitant of shady crevices. It has large, narrow, bright green leaves (2-3 mm long) which are spreading and widest just below the apex.  They may occur as small tufts or scattered individuals mixed with other species.

Major events in the life of a cyanobacterium: elucidating the "to-do list" for wet-up, normal activity, and dry-down

Fig 1. Subtract out these grasses, and you might have a good analog for the first ecological communities to colonize the land (Beraldi et al. 2013, image: Bowker et al. 2002).

Ever since about 3.5 (+?) billion years ago Earth has been the planet of the cyanobacteria (also correctly called blue-green bacteria and incorrectly called blue-green algae). We may have invented all kinds of interesting names for different parts of Earth's history (age of the fishes, age of the reptiles, etc.) in our animal-centric way, but in the background of all that there were the cyanobacteria quietly conducting the yin of global ecosystem function, primary production (decomposition being the yang). They "invented" oxygenic photosynthesis. They became engulfed by other organisms and were modified into the chloroplasts of plants and algae....so one could argue that cyanobacteria and modified cyanobacteria still conduct most of Earth's photosynthesis. These organisms drove mass extinctions, rusted the planet, and allowed a radiation of oxygen consuming organisms like humans by creating an oxygen rich atmosphere. They may have induced some glacial periods by locking up carbon dioxide. They were early colonizers of land, perhaps among the first (Beraldi-Campesi 2013; Fig.1).  They engage in mutualistic relationships with plants and a variety of fungi. They are dominant phytoplankton in the oceans, and they are found in all terrestrial ecosystems from the hottest to the coldest, wettest to the driest. In short the Earth would be a fundamentally different planet without them.

In addition to being a pillar of the biosphere, they must have some very intriguing capabilities to exist essentially anywhere with light and at least occasional water. A case in point are the desert biocrusts, whose chief architect in the cooler deserts is the cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus. They need light to photosynthesize, so they have to be near the soil surface....but think about what that implies: they must be able to tolerate their environment drying out, and they must be able to handle that sun, especially UV, exposure. This leads to two interesting abilities: desiccation tolerance and the ability to move in response to stimuli. Cyanobacteria inhabit the world's deserts because some of them are masters of desiccation tolerance: drying without dying. They pay a cost in terms of cellular damage when they dry down, but unlike you, me, your houseplants, or your dog, losing almost all of their water does not kill them. When dry, they power down completely, and simply sit there until they are moistened by liquid water and can restart their metabolism.

Fig 2. Multiple filaments of Microcoleus vaginatus (appears green) in a shared polysaccharide tube (appears white). Source: botany.natur.cuni.cz.

It gets even more interesting. Microcoleus forms threads of cells called filaments. Many filaments bundle together inside a tube of polysaccharides (what a normal person might call slime) that they goop out into the environment (Fig. 2). The tubes often run from a few mm below the soil surface to the very surface. They can slide up and down these slime tubes! Why might they move up? If water is adequate, but light could be better (for example during a rainstorm), the very surface is the place to be. Because of their susceptibility to UV, they can also retreat down a bit if light intensity increases. They also retract back into the soil as it dries, because they don't "want" to desiccate on the surface only to site there for days, weeks or months degrading in the sun (Garcia-Pichel & Pringault 2000).

Because rain events and solar influx are not exactly scheduled events, one might hypothesize that all of these things ought to be regulated by gene expression triggered and set into motion by the wet-up and dry-down events themselves. Recently a team of researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory made the news when they tracked a wetup and dry down period in a biocrust, continually monitoring what genes turned on and off and therefore which processes where engaged. This gives us a glimpse for the first time of a desert cyanobacterium's prioritized to-do list when activated. 

First, check out this video by the Berkeley team of a wet-up event below. You see bubbles of gas forming. This is probably mostly carbon dioxide at first giving way to mostly oxygen later, because respiration is engaged immediately to repair the damage sustained in the last dry-down and photosythesis takes a bit longer to ramp up. You'll see a visible greening as the filaments migrate up their slime tubes to the surface.

Next, check out their other video of a dry-down event. This video begins with a green surface because the filaments are lying there, then you can see the surface become less green because the filaments are retracting into their sheaths. The retracted filaments can now dry-down in peace below the surface without too much risk of major damage by the sun. 

The Berkeley team found that there were essentially three clusters of genes that tended to be expressed at the same time. These could be correlated with three time periods: Early wet up, daily cycles, dry-down.

I'm no biochemist, so I'll just summarize a few highlights that I found intriguing, and maybe the authors will chime in in the comment box (ahem...!!). Upon wetting up & "waking" up, the cyanobacterium finds that it left on some genes important in the last dry-down. It shuts these off. Then it turns on the genes to move around nutrients, and start making chlorophyll and ATP....in other words "topping off the tank" to start photosynthesis and respiration. It also turns on genes to fix DNA damage, because that last dry-down did some oxidative damage. While wet the organism enters an alternating cycle of pulsed photosynthesis-linked gene expression triggered by the light environment, some of which shut down at night. Microcoleus is just going about its work week, punching the clock for the daily photosynthesis, and taking its payment in carbon. Then, eventually, the day of reckoning comes....its starting to dry down. we already know its not going to die, but this is a period of time where membranes are damaged and the cells are affected by oxidative damage. Luckily, this guy keeps an emergency box of genes just for such occasions. Microcoleus keeps photosynthesis and respiration running until the bitter end. It also starts expressing genes to defend against the coming reactive oxygen (pumping in Mn as enzyme cofactors!!!). It expresses genes to help maintain osmotic balance. Perhaps the coolest....it turns on genes to transport sugars & therefore energy. This may seem strange seeing as how the organisms is in the process of shutting down, but it could help speed things up when the organism wakes back up. Is this the desert cyanobacterial equivalent of laying out your clothes and shoes for the following day before going to bed?


Literature Cited
Beraldi-Campesi H. 2013. Early life on land and the first terrestrial ecosystems. Ecological Processes 2:1.

Bowker MA, Reed SC, Belnap J, Phillips S. 2002. Temporal variation in community composition, pigmentation, and Fv/Fm of desert cyanobacterial soil crusts. Microbial Ecology 43:13-25.

Garcia-Pichel F, Pringault O. 2001. Cyanobacteria track the water in desert soils. Nature 413: 380-381.

Rajeev L, Nunes da Rocha U, Klitgord N, Luning EG, Fortney J, Axen SD, Shih PM, Bouskill NJ, Bowen BP, Kerfield CA, Garcia-Pichel F, Brodie EL, Northen TR, Mukhopadhyay A. (2013). Dynamic cyanobacterial response to hydration and dehydration in a desert biological soil crust The ISME Journal DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2013.83

Fort Hill site selection trip April 2013

We recently completed a recon trip to select study sites for our crust restoration studies. This one is Fort Hill Air Force Range, where we were hosted by Russ Lawrence and Aaron. Many thanks to our gracious hosts for a very successful trip. This is a beautiful cold desert area just to the west of the Great Salt Lake. Present were myself, Nichole Barger, Jayne Belnap, Mike Duniway, Ana Giraldo, and Anita Antoninka, who is away setting up experiments there as I write. I'd been to Salt Lake City a zillion times before, but due to the overcast sky this was the most beautiful plane landing. It was made all the more interesting since I was sitting next to two adult, male My Little Pony enthusiasts going to a Pony convention. I didn't know this phenomenon existed previously. They are called "bronies". Google it if you don't believe me. Oh yeah...the lake and snowcapped mountain combination was stunning. The base has that unique, lonely gray beauty that says "Great Basin!!!". It truly is the most underappreciated of North American deserts. The crusts did not disappoint either, we found lots of areas with fascinating crust flora, and all in all this seems to be a great place to work.

Due to low light and continuous hydration, these filamentous cyanobacteria have come to the soil surface. They will retreat when the soil drys or when the light increases.

This is what happens when I shout "Look happy, people!" to Ana (L) and Anita (R). Ana is about to collect some cyanobacteria to culture for her graduate project in the Garcia-Pichel lab. Anita is getting familiar with the place prior to installing hundreds of experimental plots.

Psora decipiens - what a show-off

Aspicilia rogeri - this species used to be considered A. fruticilosa, an Asian taxon, but the North American species turned out to be a new species which was named after Roger Rosentreter. It's a vagrant, just like Roger.

Catapyrenium??? I'm stumped by this. I first thought it was a Collema, but after I picked it up I'm convinced its a phycolichen with very little squamules. Maybe its Catapyrenium congestum?

On the ancient lake sediments, the biocrusts had polygonal cracks, and a Sharpei-skin surface structure.

Ditto, closer.

This is an invasive plant (bur buttercup) which loves to grow in the cracks between polygons whether or not there is crust present.

Russ chatting with Mike, Anita, and Ana.

Searching for a cheatgrass-free sandy soil. You can just make out that the salt flats in the far background are currently hosting a lake.