Biotic Crust Project: western_north

Biodiversity Surveys and Inventories: Survey of the Algae, Lichens, and Bryophytes of Western North America, NSF DEB9870201

This project began as a NSF-funded survey of biotic crusts from western North America, lead to the establishment of the BCP web site, and has served as a springboard for several other research projects.

Sites: Nearly all except for the sites included in the projects on Baja California, Mexico, and Joshua Tree National Park.

PIs

Valerie R. Flechtner, Department of Biology, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH, 44118 USA; flechtner@jcu.edu

Jeffrey R. Johansen, Department of Biology, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH, 44118 USA; johansen@jcu.edu

Louise A. Lewis, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Bioloy, University of Connecticut, 75 North Eagleville Rd., Storrs, CT 06269-3043, USA; louise.lewis@uconn.edu

Larry L. St.Clair, Department of Botany and Range Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA; larry@museum.byu.edu

Other Participants

Paul O. Lewis, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 North Eagleville Rd., Storrs, CT 06269-3043, USA

Clayton C. Newberry, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Pkwy, Box 454004, Las Vegas NV 89154-4004, USA

Project Summary

This project started in 1998, and focused on arid sites in western North America.

Our Objectives:

Characterize the species composition of the cyanobacteria, eukaryotic algae, lichens, and bryophytes of microbiotic crusts from 30 sites throughout intermountain western North America. These sites include areas known to have microbiotic crusts within the Columbia Basin, Great Basin, Colorado Plateau, Chihuahuan Desert, Sonoran Desert, and Mojave Desert. The sites include areas in which crusts have historically been studied, two arid-land LTER sites, and a number of national parks and monuments where pristine crusts are still common.
Establish an extensive set of collections that can be used by the current investigators and other researchers to conduct taxonomic and systematic studies.
Create a relational database and a web site for the project (the web site you see here)!

Resulting Publications

Boyer S.L., J.R. Johansen, and V.R. Flechtner. 2002. Phylogeny and genetic variance in terrestrial Microcoleus (Cyanophyceae) species based on sequence analysis of the 16s rRNA gene and associated 16S-23S ITS region. Journal of Phycology 38: 1222-1235.

Boyer S.L., V.R. Flechtner, and J.R. Johansen. 2001. Is the 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer region a good tool for use in molecular systematics and population genetics? A case study in cyanobacteria. Molecular Biology and Evolution 18:1057-1069.

Casamatta, D.A., J.R. Johansen, M.L. Vis, and S. Broadwater. 2005. Molecular and morphological characterization of ten polar and near polar strains within the Oscillatoriales (Cyanobacteria). Journal of Phycology 41: 421-438.

Flechtner V.R., S.L. Boyer, J.R. Johansen and M.L. DeNoble. 2002. Spirirestis rafaelensis gen. et sp. nov. (Cyanophyceae). Nova Hedwigia 74:1-24.

Flechtner, Valerie R., Jeffrey R. Johansen and William H. Clark. 1998. Algal composition of microbiotic crusts from the Central Desert of Baja California, Mexico. The Great Basin Natur. 58:295-311.

George, D.B., B.A. Roundy, L.L. St. Clair, J.R. Johansen, G.B. Schaalje, and B.L. Webb. 2003. The effects of microbiotic soil crusts on soil water loss. Arid Land Research and Management 17: 113-125.

Johansen, J.R. and L.E. Shubert. 2001. Algae in soils. Nova Hedwigia, Beiheft 123:295-304.

Johansen, J.R., C. Britton, T.C. Rosati, L. Xuesong, L.L. St. Clair, B.L. Webb, A.J. Kennedy, and K.S. Yanko. 2001. Microbiotic soil crusts of the Mojave Desert: factors influencing distribution and abundance. Nova Hedwigia 123: 339-370.

Knight, K.B., D.R. Clements, L.F. Gordillo, J.I. Jefferies, D. Tilley, T.J. Workman, A.F. Lloyd, and L.L. St. Clair. 2002. The lichen flora of two sites in the Mojave Desert, California, USA. Mycotaxon 84: 27-32.

Lewis, L. A. and V. R. Flechtner. 2002. Green algae (Chlorophyta) of desert microbiotic crusts: diversity of North American taxa. Taxon 51: 443-451.

Lewis, L. A. and V. R. Flechtner. 2004. Cryptic species of Scenedesmus from desert soils of western North America. Journal of Phycology 40: 1127-1137.

Lewis, L. A. and P. O. Lewis. 2005. Unearthing the molecular phylodiversity of desert soil green algae (Chlorophyta). Systematic Biology 54: 936-947.

Li, X. 2000. Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of Nostoc species from six different sites in the Mojave Desert. M.S. Thesis, John Carroll University, Cleveland, OH.

Payne, M.C. 2001. Taxonomic resolution of Leptolyngbya utilizing the 16S rRNA gene sequence. M.S. Thesis, John Carroll University, Cleveland, OH.

Rajvanshi, F., L.L. St. Clair, B.L. Webb, and C.C. Newberry. 1998. The terricolous lichen flora of the San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah, U.S.A. pp. 399-406 in: Glenn, M., M. Cole, R. Dirig & R. Harris (eds.) Lichenographia Thomsoniana: North American Lichenology in Honor of John W. Thomson. Mycotaxon, LTD, Ithaca, NY.

Vincent, J. 2001. 16S rRNA analysis of Nostoc from six sites within the Mojave Desert. M.S. Thesis, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH.