Technical Approach

This project will conduct a series of laboratory and field experiments examining the key constraints to biocrust restoration in a hot desert (Fort Bliss) and cool desert (Dugway Proving Ground) site. Laboratory experiments in year 1 will focus on developing an adequate supply of biocrust inoculum. Biocrust inoculum will be developed from two sources: locally-collected biocrust (LB) organisms and mixed isolates (MI) of the major pioneer cyanobacteria from each site. These two sources will constitute the supply of inoculum for biocrust restoration in the field. Once the biocrust inoculum supply has been developed, researchers will conduct a series of field trials to evaluate optimal inoculation levels, environmental conditions, and habitat modifications for successful biocrust establishment. Following the assisted recovery of biocrusts, researchers will conduct a series of native plant seeding trials to develop strategies for vascular plant establishment. Only the best candidate inoculum delivery and habitat modification methods and native plant seeding methods from the field trials will advance to the full suite of multi-factorial experiments in years 3 to 5. In the multifactorial field experiments, researchers will manipulate the level of biocrust inoculum on disturbed soils (LB, MI, None) while maintaining undisturbed control plots. Six months after inoculation, plots will be split:  one half of the plot will receive native seed additions while the other half will receive no seed. In years 4 and 5, researchers will monitor soil (i.e., biocrust function, stability, fertility, and erosion) and plant (i.e., cover, density, and diversity) responses to biocrust inoculation and native plant additions. In the final years, researchers will conduct a series of rainfall simulations and wind tunnel experiments in addition to broader scale soil erosion modeling to evaluate the influence of biocrust and native plant restoration on hydrologic function and soil erosion.