Biocrust Wonder Walk

6554 Park Boulevard,Joshua Tree CA 92252

20 February, 2023

Description

The desert floor may look like dirt and sand from afar, but with a trained eye and magnifying lens, you can find it covered by beautiful, tiny organisms composing biological soil crust communities vital to the desert ecosystem! Living in the upper inch of the soil surface, these “biocrust” communities include mosses, lichens, blue-green algae, green algae, water bears, diatoms, and bacteria, among other invertebrates. In this field walk, participants will view the secret life of these intricate organisms through hand and magnifying lenses as Theresa discusses how to distinguish the different organismal groups and types of biocrust, highlighting their unique ecological roles in desert ecosystems. She will show participants how to help monitor biocrust presence, diversity, and disturbance using her iNaturalist Project, “Citizens of the Crust”. The monitoring will emphasize zero-impact observations, teaching participants the importance of the National Park Service decree signs, “Don’t bust the crust!” Activity Level: Easy to Moderate Activity Details: Biocrust Wonder Walk, Spring 2023 Participant Waiver: Please fill out and return the participant waiver within seven days of your event to [email protected] (digital signature or photo of signed doc is ok) To receive your $10 off Membership Discount, please enter your membership code at the checkout! Learn more about your guideTHERESA CLARK is a bryophyte ecologist from Maine, but much of her research has been in the American Southwest studying tiny dryland mosses (which are often a quarter of the size of their mesic Maine relatives). She earned a M.S. at Northern Arizona University researching the diversity and community ecology of mosses in Grand Canyon National Park. During her PhD at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, she studied dryland moss survival and the potential for these small mosses to “hide” from climate change in protected microhabitats. After finishing her degree, she has continued in research and science education. At the University of Minnesota, she has been teaching biology and studying long-term desiccation tolerance and functional trait ecology of dryland mosses including characterizing their unique “spongey adaptions” for holding and moving water. In progress is her moss flora of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (Utah) and she has helped develop a photographic moss guide for using California mosses as bioindicators for riparian health. She offers regular moss outreach events, teaching children and adults alike how to “moss hunt” without disturbing these important and sometimes delicate plant communities.