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Plant Sciences

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

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A Study Of Invasive Species Cover Near Roads In A Red Rock Canyon Blackbrush Community, Christopher Keough May 2004

A Study Of Invasive Species Cover Near Roads In A Red Rock Canyon Blackbrush Community, Christopher Keough

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The monitoring of Mojave Desert plant communities during and following disturbance is an important process that could provide invaluable information about disturbance/recovery regimes in similar arid environments across the globe. Blackbrush communities are of particular interest because of their low replacement rate, which makes them highly susceptible to disturbance. Roads in the Mojave Desert have been associated with soil compaction resulting in a lack of vegetation as well as an increase in invasive species cover in the immediate proximity. To investigate these statements, eight fifty-foot line transects were established in each of three plot types (perpendicular to dirt roads, perpendicular …


Reciprocal Transplantation Of The Desert Soil Crust: Can It Be Done?, Christina D. Cole Dec 1999

Reciprocal Transplantation Of The Desert Soil Crust: Can It Be Done?, Christina D. Cole

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A 100 meter X 100 meter study site was chosen at White Rock Springs in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada. To examine Syntrichia caninervis, a desert crustal moss, reciprocal transplantations (20 mm and 40 mm diameter cores) were performed between shaded to shaded, exposed to exposed, and shaded to exposed microsites to determine if it was possible to transplant the study organism with reasonable survivorship. Transplants were inspected following rain events for percent hydration, number of dead stems, and change in percent cover. Data indicated that there was a low mortality rate of S. caninervis stems, and few …