Rebecca Finger-Higgens Erika L Geiger Michael C Duniway Jayne Belnap Anna Knight 20260213 comma-separated values tabular data Flagstaff, AZ U.S. Geological Survey Additional information about Originators: Finger-Higgens, Rebecca, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7645-504X; Geiger, Erika L, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4546-3503, Duniway, Michael C, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9643-2785, Belnap, Jayne, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7471-2279, Knight, Anna C., https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9455-2855 https://doi.org/10.5066/P13TLBPW These tabular data were compiled to monitor vegetation and biocrust cover two previously grazed grassland located in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Objectives of this study are to document potential changes in biological soil crust (biocrust) and vegetation cover and species composition over time and with ongoing U.S. National Park Service (NPS) management. These data represent a timeseries of long-term vegetation and biocrust monitoring plots, dating from 1998-2024. These data were collected in Salt Flats and Chesler Park grasslands, Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, Utah. These data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Research Center in coordination with the NPS. Data were collected via field observations twice annually, once in the Spring (April-May) and once in fall (Sept.) starting in 1998 for Chesler Park and 2000 for Salt Flats. These data can be used to monitor long-term trends and changes in vegetation in two previously grazed and currently protected grasslands on the Colorado Plateau and help with monitoring trends in similar dryland ecosystems. The purpose of these data is to monitor potential changes in vegetation and biocrust cover over time in two protected, previously grazed grasslands within Canyonlands National Park Needles District. Additionally, this data set allows for the comparison of different dominant grass cover types, both with and without invasion from a pervasive non-native grass, Bromus tectorum. These data were collected and created to establish a record and identify long-term trends in changes of biocrust and vegetation. Additionally, Salt Flat (SF) and Chesler Park (CP) had two differing domestic grazing histories prior to park establishment, with SF exposed to frequent and regular grazing, while CP experienced more infrequent and sparse grazing usage. Future researchers can also use these data to compare rates of change in vegetation or biocrust across other drylands systems, especially within the greater Colorado Plateau region. These data provide 25 years of biocrust and vegetation cover and species abundance for two protected dryland grasslands in Canyonlands National Park from 1998-2024. These data can be used for long-term, observational ecological studies of biocrust and vegetation, however analyses outside the scope of observation data would be inappropriate. Additionally, species lists were compiled from observations made within designated plots and should not be considered a complete list of all potential species present over the study time period. The values listed here are also not necessarily representative of the species across their entire ranges, and previous and current land-use should be taken into consideration. Most of the values represent point measurements from certain times and places with limited replication on that site and no replication across the geographic and morphologic range of species. Data users should read the entire metadata record and acquire the manuscript identified as the ‘Larger Work Citation’, and/or review the 'Cross References' to have a complete understanding of how these data were created and used. The data are specific to the uses identified in this metadata record and the 'Larger Work Citation', and any other use of these data would be inappropriate. See 'Distribution liability' statements for more information. 19980401 20250930 ground condition Planned Annually -109.86002 -109.73694 38.18504 38.10066 ISO 19115 Topic Category biota USGS Thesaurus air temperature atmospheric and climatic processes biogeography biological soil crusts climate change effects of climate change ecosystem monitoring ecosystems field experiments field inventory and monitoring land use change long-term ecological monitoring plot sampling precipitation measurement, rainfall measurement, snowfall measurement precipitation (atmospheric) vegetation weather monitoring, weather observations USGS Biocomplexity Thesaurus grassland species composition vegetation cover None biocrust cover dryland ecosystems field observations long-term monitoring plots weather station point-intercept measurements tabular data timeseries USGS Metadata Identifier USGS:691cfc08d4be021d1d89b4b1 Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Canyonlands National Park Colorado Plateau San Juan County Utah Virginia Park None Needles District None. Please see ‘Distribution Information’ section for details. None. Users are advised to read the dataset's metadata thoroughly to understand appropriate use and data limitations. It is requested that the suggested citation for this USGS data release be included in any publications that reference or utilize these data. Michael C Duniway U.S. Geological Survey Research Ecologist mailing and physical

2290 S West Resource Blvd

Moab UT 84532 US 928-556-7530 mduniway@usgs.gov The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Land Change Science Program and Ecosystem Mission Area, and Canyonlands National Park supported this work. We are grateful to the many USGS and NPS staff that helped with study establishment and data collection. We would also like to thank the National Park Service for their early recognition of the value of this study site and providing these grasslands the most protection possible. Any use of trade names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Jayne Belnap Susan L. Phillips Tonya Troxler 2006 publication ScienceDirect (online) Applied Soil Ecology https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2004.12.010 Rexford F. Daubenmire 1959 publication NA Northwest Science not available online Edgar F. Kleiner K. T. Harper 1977 publication JSTOR (online) Journal of Range Management https://doi.org/10.2307/3897307 No formal attribute accuracy tests were conducted No formal logical accuracy tests were conducted Data set is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record carefully for additional details. No formal positional accuracy tests were conducted No formal positional accuracy tests were conducted Establishment of the study area: To explore the impact of climate variation and cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion on biocrust stability through time, we studied two grasslands within the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, Utah that were previously grazed by domestic livestock. These grasslands comprise two distinct and common perennial grassland community associations: one dominated by the predominately spring-active C3 grasses Hesperostipa comata and Achnatherum hymenoides (collectedly referred to as Stipa) and another community dominated by the spring and fall-active C4 grass Pleuraphis jamesii (previous called Hilaria jamesii), as well as some areas with prominent cover of the annual C3 grass Bromus tectorum (common name Cheatgrass). Soils at our study sites are dominantly fine sandy loams derived from aeolian sands, with some sandstone alluvium and residuum at depth, and weak soil horizon development (Kleiner and Harper 1977, Belnap et al. 2006). Previous research in the area found differences in soil texture between the different plant cover types, with Pleuraphis site soils being slightly finder textures (more silt and fine sand) than Stipa sites. 2025 Development of the Study Design: Initial study design was created by Jayne Belnap, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the project was managed by Sue Phillips and Jayne Belnap until 2010, and Erika Geiger and Jayne Belnap from 2011-2015. The project is currently (2016-2021) managed by Rebecca Fomger-Higgens, Erika Geiger, and Michael Duniway. Data were collected by USGS biologists and technicians 1996-2015 and by USGS and NPS biologists and technicians 2016-2024. Data were typically collected by a team of two with one reader and one recorder. Technicians were trained in plant and/or biological soil crust identification using vouchers and in the field on other projects prior to collecting data or if it was their first time to the locations they typically recorded for a more experienced reader until we were confident in their abilities to read (i.e., identify most species). Unknown species were identified later when possible by revisiting the plot or by photographing the plant and showing specimens or photos to a subject matter expert in USGS or NPS. For plant species that required certain characteristics for identification (e.g., flower or fruits), individuals were sometimes flagged for identification at a later date (e.g., in spring for identification in fall). Additionally, sometimes due to the phenology of the plant it could only be identified to the genus level. For biological soil crust identification, mosses and common lichens (genera Collema and Placidium) were typically identified to species, while rarer lichens were identified to genus. In CP, seven permanent 0.5 hectare plots were established with one plot in a predominantly Stipa spps. community (S), three plots in a mixed Stipa spp. and Bromus invaded communities (SB), and 3 plots in Pleuraphis jamesii and Bromus invaded communities (PB). In SF, six permanent 0.5 ha plots were established with three plots in Pleuraphis jamesii and Bromus invaded communities (PB) and three plots in Bromus dominated areas at the time of project establishment (B). Within each plot, 20 replicates of 0.25 square meter frames were established for subplot level replication for vascular vegetation and biocrust cover estimates. Daubenmire cover classes were used to estimate cover of vascular vegetation and ground litter with 6 different canopy cover classes: 1) 0-5%, 2) 5-25%, 3) 25-50%, 4) 50-75%, 5)75-95, 6) 95-100%. Additionally, at all 20 subplots within a vegetation cover type plot, biocrusts and ground cover estimates were sampled using a point-hit method with a 0.1 m2 gridded frame containing 20-point intercept hits. Vegetation and biocrust estimates were conducted twice a year, once in the spring (April-May) and again in the fall (September). 20250929 Development of the Field Methods: Daubenmire cover classes were used to estimate cover of vascular vegetation and ground litter with 6 different canopy cover classes: 1) 0-5%, 2) 5-25%, 3) 25-50%, 4) 50-75%, 5)75-95, 6) 95-100% (Daubenmire 1959). Additionally, at all 20 subplots within a vegetation cover type plot, biocrusts and ground cover estimates were sampled using a point-hit method with a 0.1 m2 frame containing 20-point intercept hits. Percent cover was calculated as the number of hits of a given biocrust component divided by the total number of point intercept hits. In the earliest years of the study (1998), biocrust surveys were split into defined functional types including: Collema spps. (and later further grouped into cyanolichens), chlorolichens, moss, bare, and cyanobacteria. Starting in 1999 lichen species were identified to species, and mosses were identified to species starting in 2002. Cyanobacteria ground cover throughout the study was also identified but light versus darkly pigmented soil cyanobacteria were not distinguished, thereby limiting our ability to detect changes in the cyanobacterial component; thus, these data were not included. 20250929 Data entry: Data were entered by U.S. Geological Survey technicians and efforts were made for different technicians to enter and check the data. Data entry was performed only by technicians who had collected data for this project at least once. Data that were collected during field visits were scribed on data sheets, and then scanned to a digital file for preservation in the office. Data were checked by Erika Geiger and Rebecca Finger-Higgens for consistency across readers and years; at times we opted for a coarser level of taxonomy when over the entire data set when plants were identified at the species level during in some seasons/years but only to the genus level at other times. 20250929 Data processing: Once data had been proofed by a technician and either Erika Geiger or Rebecca Finger-Higgens, cover data was read into R with an automated process and complied into the complete data set for both vegetation and biocrust cover data (Vegetation and Biocrust data tables, respectively). The species list was also generated from this process so that every unique species of vegetation and biocrust component was identified to the lowest taxonomic unit possible (Vegetation Variables and Biocrust Variables data tables). Sampling dates were also selected from the total compiled data frame for the Sample Date data table. Final processing for biological data was conducted in September 2025. 2023 Data Quality Assessment and Quality Control (QAQC): Data were checked by U.S. Geological Survey technicians and efforts were made for different technicians to enter and check the data. Data checking was performed only by technicians who had collected data for this project at least once. Data that were collected during field visits were scribed on data sheets, and then scanned to a digital file for preservation in the office. Data were checked by Erika Geiger and Rebecca Finger-Higgens for consistency across readers and years; at times we opted for a coarser level of taxonomy when over the entire data set when plants were identified at the species level during in some seasons/years but only to the genus level at other times. 2023 Finalize Data for Dissemination: Data sent to the Southwest Biological Science Center Data Steward for dissemination and preservation per USGS Data Management Policies SM 502.6, SM 502.7, SM 502.8 and SM 502.9. 2025 Biocrust Data This data table represents biological soil crust and other ground cover point-intercept measurements. Producer defined Year This attribute in the data table represents the year sampling occurred Producer defined 1998 2025 yyyy Season This attribute in the data table represents the sampling season. Producer defined The sampling season occurred in the fall or spring. Spring sampling occurred every year from late April to mid May starting in 1998. Fall sampling occurred in September of each sampling year. Sampling did not occur in Fall 1996, Spring 1997, Fall 1998, Fall 1999, Fall 2003, Spring 2020, and Fall 2025. Type This attribute in the data table represents the dominant species cover classification Producer defined H Pleuraphis jamesii Producer defined HC Pleuraphis jamesii + Bromus tectorum Producer defined S Stipa Producer defined SC Stipa + Bromus tectorum Producer defined C Bromus tectorum Producer defined Plot This attribute in the data table represents the plot number where sampling occurred Producer defined Replicate plot numbers are designated as 1, 2, or 3 Subplot This attribute in the data table represents individual subplots nested within replicate plots Producer defined 1 25 integer number Variable This attribute in the data table represents the identified biocrust component Producer defined A textual description of biological variables at the data collection point that identifies the biocrust component. The attribute contains 35 distinct variable descriptions. For more information on biocrust variables, see the Biocrust_variables table. Hits This attribute in the data table represents the number of hits of a given biocrust component Producer defined 1 20 integer number Site This attribute in the data table represents the grassland site that was surveyed, either representing Chesler Park (CP) or Salt Flates (SF). Producer Defined CP Chesler Park Producer defined SF Salt Flats Producer defined TotalHits This attribute in the data table represents the total number of hits that were surveyed for biocrust at a given subplot during a sampling event. Producer Defined 5 30 PropCover This attribute in the data table represents the proportional cover as estimate by Hits divided by the total hits for a given biocrust component ranging from 0-1. Producer Defined 0.03 1 Biocrust Variables This data table represents a biocrust species list plus descriptions of additional cover categories found in the biocrust subplots Producer defined Variable This attribute in the data table represents the identified biocrust component Producer defined A textual description of biological variables at the data collection point that identifies the biocrust component. The attribute contains 34 distinct variables. It should be noted that starting in 2021, CYANO was divided into two groups to represent different successional stages of biological soil crusts. Those categories included Dark.Cyano and Light.Cyano. Description This attribute in the data table represents a full genus name, a species name, or a description of other cover information Producer defined A textual description at the data collection point that identifies a full genus name, a species name, or a description of other cover information. The attribute contains 34 distinct variable descriptions. Genus This attribute in the data table represents the genus or other grouping Producer defined A textual description at the data collection point that identifies the genus or other grouping (Bare, bioturbation (Bioturb), Lichen, Litter, Plant, Rock). The attribute contains 19 distinct genera. FT This attribute in the data table represents the functional type by component Producer defined Bare bare ground without physical crust Producer defined Cyano Cyanobacteria Producer defined Lichen other lichens Producer defined Litter plant litter Producer defined Moss non-vascular plant Producer defined Nfixer nitrogen fixing lichens Producer defined Plant live plant base Producer defined Rock naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of one or more minerals Producer defined Sampling Dates This data table represents dates of all sampling events Producer defined Date This attribute in the data table represents the day, month, and year of the sampling event Producer defined 5/1/1998 9/17/2025 m/dd/yyyy Year This attribute in the data table represents the year of the sampling event Producer defined 1998 2025 yyyy Season This attribute in the data table represents the sampling season. Producer defined The sampling season occurred in the fall or spring. Spring sampling occurred every year from late April to mid May starting in 1996. Fall sampling occurred in September of each sampling year. Vegetation Data This data table represents percent cover estimates for above ground vegetation cover. Producer defined Year Year sampling occurred Producer defined 1998 2025 yyyy Season This attribute in the data table represents the sampling season. Producer defined The sampling season occurred in the fall or spring. Spring sampling occurred every year from late April-mid May starting in 1998. Fall sampling occurred in September of each sampling year. Sampling did not occur in Fall 1998 and Fall 2000. Type This attribute in the data table represents the vegetation cover classification Producer defined H Pleuraphis jamesii Producer defined HC Pleuraphis jamesii + Bromus tectorum Producer defined S Stipa Producer defined SC Stipa + Bromus tectorum Producer defined C Bromus tectorum Producer defined Plot This attribute in the data table represents the replicate plot number where sampling occurred Producer defined Replicate plot numbers are designated as 1, 2, or 3 Subplot This attribute in the data table represents individual subplots nested within replicate plots Producer defined 1 25 integer number SpeciesCode This attribute in the data table represents the identified plant species, genus, or other cover category Producer defined A textual description of vegetation variables at the data collection point that identifies the species code, the genus or other variables. Codes are letters that indicate the species (4 letters with the first 2 representing the genus and the last 2 representing the specific epithet) or genus (5 letters when the individual could not be identified down to the species level) or other cover categories (litter, etc). Taxonomic names can be found at the USDA PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov/home) either as the accepted current nomenclature or a synonym. The attribute contains 140 distinct variable descriptions. For more information on vegetation variables, see the Vegetation_variables table. PercentCover This attribute in the data table represents the percent variable cover as estimate by cover class and the mean value of the Daubenmire classifications: 0-100 Producer defined 2.5 97.5 integer number Class This attribute in the data table represents the Daubenmire vegetation cover class: 1-6 Producer defined 1 0 - 5% coverage Producer defined 2 5 - 25% coverage Producer defined 3 25 - 50% coverage Producer defined 4 50 - 75% coverage Producer defined 5 75 - 95% coverage Producer defined 6 95 - 100% coverage Producer defined Frequency This attribute in the data table represents the Daubenmire Frequency number ranging from 0-4. Producer Defined 0 The observation is rooted outside the survey plot but the canopy hangs over. Producer defined 1 The observation is first observed rooted in the first quarter of the vegetation frame. Producer defined 2 The observation is first observed rooted in the second quarter of the vegetation frame. Producer defined 3 The observation is first observed rooted in the third quarter of the vegetation frame. Producer defined 4 The observation is first observed rooted in the forth quarter of the vegetation frame. Producer defined Site This attribute in the data table represents the grassland site that was surveyed, either representing Chesler Park (CP) or Salt Flates (SF). Producer Defined CP Chesler Park Producer defined SF Salt Flats Producer defined Vegetation Variables This data table represents a vegetation species list plus description of an additional cover categories found in vegetation subplots Producer defined SpeciesCode This attribute in the data table represents the species code. Producer defined A textual description of vegetation variables at the data collection point that identifies the species code, the genus or other variables. Codes are letters that indicate the species (4 letters with the first 2 representing the genus and the last 2 representing the specific epithet) or genus (5 letters when the individual could not be identified down to the species level) or other cover categories (litter, etc). Taxonomic names can be found at the USDA PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov/home) either as the accepted current nomenclature or a synonym. The attribute contains 140 distinct variable descriptions and 1 "Unknown". Family This attribute in the data table represents the family for the plant species. Current family names for the plant species can be found at the USDA PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov/home). Producer defined NA Data not available or not applicable. Producer defined A textual description of the data collection point that identifies a full genus name, a species name, or a description of other cover information. The attribute contains 26 distinct family descriptions. NA = Not available ScientificName This attribute in the data table represents the identification of plant to species or genus Producer defined A textual description of the data collection point that identifies the plant species or genus as provided by USDA Plants. The attribute contains 140 distinct variable descriptions. NA = Not available Duration This attribute in the data table represents the growth form duration of a given species, if known. Duration classifications were informed by USDA Plants and on-site observations for plants that were listed as both annual and perennial. Producer defined NA Not available Producer defined Annual annual plant growth Producer defined Perennial perennial plant growth Producer defined Native This attribute in the data table represents if a given plant is a native species or an introduced species as provided by USDA Plants.. Producer Defined NA Not available Producer defined Native This value indicates that the plant species is a native to the study location. Producer defined Introduced This value indicates that this plant species is introduced to the ecosystem. Producer defined GrowthHabit This attribute in the data table represents the growth habit of a given species. GrowthHabit classifications were informed by USDA Plants and on-site observations of plant growth habit if multiple habits were listed. We also added a succulent category that was not included in USDA Plants. Producer Defined NA Not available Producer defined SubShrub A woody plant that is smaller than a typical shrub, often with a woody base and herbaceous upper stems that may die back seasonally. Producer defined Shrub A woody plant, usually multi-stemmed and shorter than a tree, typically over 0.5 meters tall. Producer defined Graminoid A grass-like plant, including true grasses (Poaceae), sedges (Cyperaceae), and rushes (Juncaceae). Producer defined Succulent A plant with thick, fleshy tissues adapted to store water, often found in arid environments. Producer defined Forb A broad-leaved herbaceous (non-woody) plant other than a grass, sedge, or rush. Producer defined U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase U.S. Geological Survey mailing and physical

Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302

Denver CO 80225 United States 1-888-275-8747 sciencebase@usgs.gov The author(s) of these data request that data users contact them regarding intended use and to assist with understanding limitations and interpretation. Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. Digital Data https://doi.org/10.5066/P13TLBPW These files contains data available in comma-separated values (csv) format. The user must have software capable of displaying the data tables. 20260213 Michael C Duniway U.S. Geological Survey Research Ecologist mailing and physical

2290 S West Resource Blvd

Moab UT 84532 US 928-556-7530 mduniway@usgs.gov Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata FGDC-STD-001-1998