Carbon, Nitrogen and Algal Biomass in Cold Desert Soil Crusts

The algal biomass, total organic carbon, total nitrogen and percent soil moisture of soil crusts for a ten month period are presented for the Curlew Valley region of northern Utah. The estimates establish a significant relationship among these parameters. A method involving chlorophyll extraction to determine the biomass of soil algae has been developed, and from this method the following conclusions are suggested: the revegetation of soil surfaces by algal crusts after lethal treatment, without physical disruption, appears to be rapid; there is no apparent relationship between the amount of algal biomass and the type of vascular vegetation present