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

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.