Small Mammal Exclosure Study (SMES) Cryptogamic Crust Data from Chihuahuan Desert Grassland and Shrubland at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1995-2005)

This is data for soil surface cover of cryptobiotic (cryptogam) crusts measured on each of the SMES study plots. Cryptobiotic crusts were measured from each of the 36 one-meter2 quadrats twice each year when vegetation was measured. Cryptobiotic crusts include lichens, mosses, algae, brown algae, and cyanobacteria that form crusts on stable soil surfaces.