Qualitative assessment of ecosystems potential at Gomishan area of Golestan province by using landscape function indices

Soil, plant and indicators are the main criteria to recognize the function of natural ecosystems and evaluate their potentials.The objective of this research was to determine some of the soil and plant indicators at the saline and alkaline terrain of Gomishan rangelands in Golestan province. Landscape Function Analysis method was used to evaluate the potential of inside and outside of enclosure. Width, length, and numbers of the patches (including grasses, shrubs, shrub-grass, and litter) and inter-patch and 11 soil parameters were measured on three transects of 50 meters length. The density and volume of grasses and shrubs under two different management were measured using point-center-quarter method. The index of landscape stability for patches of litter, and soil infiltration for patches of shrub-grass and litter were significantly higher within enclosure than outside area. Soil infiltration, stability and nutrient cycling of bear soil inside enclosure were significantly better than outside. Grass and shrub-grass were the most important ecological indicators of inside enclosure but shrubs for outside areas.