CRYPTOGAMIC SOIL CRUSTS: RECOVERY FROM DISTURBANCE AND SEASONAL VARIATION IN THE WEST DESERT, UTAH, U.S.A. (SOIL ALGAE, BURNING, GRAZING, UNITED STATES)

Several aspects of the ecology of soil algae were studied. Recovery of cryptogamic crust organisms following both fire and grazing disturbance were studied in the vicinity of Camp Floyd State Park, Utah. Algae were the first crust organisms to recover, while lichens and mosses had not fully recovered in either the burned or grazed areas.;Seasonal variation in algal communities in the Tintic Mountains was studied over a one year period. Algae responded positively to moisture and negatively to high temperature. Short term response to climatic factors, such as major rain storms, was observed.