UB1

 
                     View at site 1                                                        Typical crust at site 1

Unita Basin, Utah, USA.  40° 20' 7.4" N latitude, 109° 38' 23.3" W; elevation 5024 feet.  South of Highway 40 above Vernal.  8 miles west of First Baptist Church in Vernal (7.9 miles from "Vernal" city sign).  Date of sampling:  17 June 2000.

Vascular plants:   Sagebrush (A. tridentata), Opuntia sp., A. confertidolia, Gutierrezia sarothrae.

Mean algal crust thickness:  21.2 mm
Mean moss crust thickness:  17.0 mm 

Cover summary:

    Type of Cover        % Cover
    A. tridentata                    0.4
    Annuals                          0.0
    Perennial grasses          9.6
    Perennial forbs              0.0
    Algal crust                   42.0
    Bryophytes                  12.0
    Lichens                         12.8
    Bare Soil                       10.0
    Rock                                0.0 
    Litter                             13.2 
    Gravel                             0.0
    Cactus                             0.0

Chlorophyll a (ng/g):  1759.85
N fixation rate (mmol/n2/m2/hr): 2271.51
Soil texture class:  sandy loam

UB2

    
           View at site 2                                                Typical crust at site 2

Unita Basin, Utah, USA.  39° 57' 12.7" N latitude, 109° 9' 25.5" W longitude; elevation 5163 feet.  Road to asphalt wash.  Date of sampling:  17 June 2000.

Vascular plants:  Catapyrenium lachneiru, Tivuralis, Collema tenax, Psoradecipiens, Artr, Atco, Sarcobatus vermicularis, Brte, Stipa hymenoides, Opuntia.

Mean algal crust thickness:  22 mm
Mean lichen crust thickness:  11.2 mm
Mean moss crust thickness: 15 mm

Cover summary: (approximate values due to messy raw data)

    Type of Cover        % Cover

   Shrub 1                          0.4
    Shrub 2                          0.8
    Artr                                4.0
    Save                                3.2
    Opuntia                         0.4
    Brte                                 2.4
    Atco                                0.4
    Perennial grasses         0.0
    Perennial forbs             0.0
    Algal crust                   14.3
    Bryophytes                    1.6
    Lichens                           7.9
    Bare Soil                       50.8
    Rock                                0.8
    Litter                               9.1
    Gravel                             4.0
    Cactus                             0.0

Chlorophyll a (ng/g):  299.38
N fixation rate (mmol/n2/m2/hr): 491.64
Soil texture class: loam

UB3

                          View at site 3

Unita Basin, Utah, USA.  40° 10' 26.3" N latitude, 109° 7' 28.2" W longitude; elevation 5758 feet.   Road from 40 to 45.  Solid sage site on the east.  Date of sampling:  17 June 2000.

Dominant vascular plants:  A. tridentata

Other vascular plants:  Brte (solid cover), Opuntia (rare).

Mean algal crust thickness:  17.75 mm
Mean lichen crust thickness:  12.6 mm
Mean moss crust thickness:  33 mm

Cover summary:

    Type of Cover        % Cover
    Artr                                7.6
    Brte                              26.0                          
    Perennial forbs            0.0
    Algal crust                  22.8
    Bryophytes                   4.4
    Lichens                        12.0
    Bare Soil                        1.6
    Rock                               0.4
    Litter                            25.2
    Gravel                            0.0
    Cactus                            0.0

Chlorophyll a (ng/g):  2352.24
N fixation rate (mmol/n2/m2/hr): 47.20
Soil texture class:  sandy loam / loam