CrustNet Effort Calculator

Tier 1 (one-time survey) mandatory

Tier 1 — 10 plots and 3 transects

Effort: 5-6 people, ~2 days total, one visit.

LPI transects for plants and biocrusts (three, each 30 meters)
Plant–biocrust cooccurrence quadrats (10 per transect, each 0.25 x 0.25 meters)
Biodiversity survey (one 40-minute survey)
Structure–function plots (10 plots, each 0.25 x 0.25 meters)
Collections for the trait database (up to 15 samples of the 5 most dominant moss/lichen species on site)

Tier 2 (simple experiments + monitoring)

Disturbance-Recovery experiment +16 plots

Effort: 5-6 people, ~1 day setup + repeat sampling.

Optional inoculum add-on for D-R +8 plots

Effort: 5-6 people, ~1 day setup + repeat sampling.

Only available if Disturbance-Recovery is selected.

Disturbance Gradient experiment +10 plots

Effort: 5-6 people, ~2 days setup + repeat sampling.

Tier 3 (infrastructure and optional components)

Drought component

Install drought shelters and sample over 3 years; equipment ~ $1000.

Common garden component

Coordination with PI team required. More information forthcoming on this component.

N-cycling and spectral reflectance of biocrust (optional)) no return visits

Can be completed with Tier 1. Generates up to 48 petri-dish samples per site.

Selected tiers

Tier 1

Tier 1 footprint

1 ha area: 10 plots, 3 transects

Tier 2 plots (remain at site 3 years)

Tier 3 plots (remain at site 3 years)

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Crew of 5-6 Crew of 2