One of the least known and overlooked types of plant life in the semidesert shrublands are lichen and cryptogamic soil. Yet they play an important part of the semidesert shrublands. Lichen is is the layer of crusty yellow, red, orange, and green fungi and cyanobacteria found on rocks. Cryptogamic soil is formed by layers of cyanobacteria, lichen, mosses, and fungi. Cryptogamic soil looks different than the red or tan desert soil. It is often black or greenish and feels crunchy when it is stepped on. Cryptogamic soil and lichen need very little water to survive and can live well in the dry hot climate. They are important because they help stop erosion. This is very important for all the other plants and animals that eat the plants because it helps keep the fertile soil in place during the strong summer rainstorms and wind storms. They also add nitrogen to the soil, and nitrogen is a very important nutrient for plants. Cryptogamic soil and lichen grow very slowly.
Lichen and cryptogamic soil are so often overlooked that many people destroy them without even knowing their important roles. Many people see the desert and think that it does not have that much life. So people ride their ATV, ride their dirt bikes or mountain bikes, overgraze an area with sheep or cattle, hike, or do other outdoor activities where ever they wish. Often times they end up killing large areas of lichen and crypotgamic soil. Which in turn allows large summer rainstorms and wind storms to erode away large amounts of soil and create even more dangerous flash floods. It also erodes way important nitrogen and other nutrients that other plants need to grow; so there may be fewer other desert plants able to grow and less food for many animals. So next time you are in the semidesert look around and you may find much more life than you may expect. Try to stay on the trail and ride your ATVs, dirt bikes, and mountain bikes in designated areas.
Sources of information and to find more information: NPS Canyonlands, Bird & Hike LV , Enviroscience
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