نشریه حفاظت زیست بوم گیاهان
سال یازدهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 22، بهار و تابستان 1402)

Carum carvi is a native species that is widely used in various medicinal, food, health, and cosmetic industries. In this study, the MaxEnt model was used to investigate the ecological factors affecting the establishment and distribution of Carum carvi and to prepare a map of its habitat suitability in Alamout Sharghi Rangelands (2019). To model the map, 19 environmental variables and information on the presence points of the species were prepared and entered into MAXENT software. Evaluation of the model results was obtained at 95% using AUC, which indicates the high accuracy of the model results. According to the results, C. carvi species prefers to grow in the altitude range of 1000 to 2700 meters, with lime of soil 14 to 25 percent, rainfall 400 to 500 mm, soil acidity 7.7-7.8, sand of soil about 35 percent, clay of soil 20 to 40 percent in Alamout Sharghi region. The probability of the presence of this species increases to 80% with the increase of soil organic matter from 0.5% to 2% and the probability of the presence of C. carvi species reaches 100% with the increase of silt of soil from 4 to 25%. Among the micronutrients, C. carvi showed a better response to increasing potassium. The variables of range direction, soil acidity, and sodium (Bio2, Bio15, and Bio14, respectively) were the least important environmental variables in the jackknife test. This basin has almost all geographical directions due to its mountainous nature. The acidity of the soil in this basin is 7.6-7.8 (almost neutral) and the amount of sodium in the soil is also negligible. The results of this study are used for domestication and cultivation of this plant in lands with similar habitat conditions for its widespread use and commercialization of its products.

Relationships and Principled interaction between ranchers and rangelands play an important role in the sustainable management of rangeland. If rangelands are properly managed, they will be used for sustainable exploitation. One of the indicators of sustainability in rangeland management is the social dimension which various factors are involved. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of identifying social indicators in sustainable management of rangeland and the effective relationships of each of them on social sustainability of Choghakhor rangeland management in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. The statistical population consisted of 103 competent ranchers in the rangeland, of which research data were collected from 83 of them as a sample size based on Krejcie Morgan's table. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire based on the information obtained from field interviews. After summarizing the data, the analysis was done in two parts, descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of structural equation modeling showed that social sustainability in rangeland management was positively and significantly affected by seven indicators of knowledge and awareness of livestock and rangeland, skill and ability level in livestock and rangeland affairs, level of livestock participation, level of correlation and the cohesion of ranchers  , the level of social interaction in ranchers and the level of ranchers' satisfaction   are at the level of 99% confidence and the level of responsibility and cooperation of ranchers are at the level of 95% confidence. The importance of social issues in rangeland management requires policies and rangeland management macro-programs with a comprehensive approach and with a precise definition of social indicators in rangeland management according to the position of ranchers can be beneficiaries to sustainable social empowerment in Conducted protection and exploitation in rangeland.

Population growth as well as increasing migration to cities in recent decades has led to increased population density as well as the area of ​​large cities. Noise pollution is one of the environmental problems in big cities, which endangers human health in various psychological and physical aspects. Unfortunately, this type of pollution has received less attention than other pollutants. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate and model the effect of tree species, growing season (summer and winter), distance from the sound source and stand attributes including mean diameter at breast height, average height of the stand, basal area per hectare, total basal area of trees from sound source to location on noise pollution. The present study was conducted in Noor Forest Park in which 6 stations including 5 different tree stands and one control area were selected for the study. Measurement of noise pollution was performed in each station with 5 replications at distance intervals of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 meters from the sound source with two noise frequencies of 250 and 500 Hz in two seasons of winter and summer.  Based on the model selection criteria, the linear model showed the best fit for modeling the effect of environmental factors on the amount of noise pollution. Based on the results, the effect of distance, species, season, intensity of noise pollution and total basal area of trees on the amount of noise pollution was significant. The distance from the source of noise pollution and the total basal area of the trees showed an inverse relationship with the amount of noise pollution. The highest noise pollution was related to the control areas without trees and the lowest was related to the Gleditsia-Alnus mixed stands. It can be concluded that by afforesting mixed stands so that the species cover different floors, noise pollution can be reduced more effectively.

Awareness of biodiversity status is one of the requirements for adopting a conservation approach in rangelands ecosystems. In this regard, the present research was conducted in order to investigate the effect of slope direction on the values of plant diversity indices in the Astraglaus shrubland of Nazluchai region in 2017. For this purpose, in total, with the use of 230 sample plots of one square meter, which were placed at a distance of five meters from each other, along 50-meter transects; the crown cover percentage of plant species were collected in each of the main directions of the range (eight northern directions, five southern directions, five eastern directions and five western directions). Then, with the PAST software, the most important and widely used indicators of species diversity (Margalef, Taxa, Menhinick and Berger-Parker as species richness indices, Dominance, evenness, Simpson and Pielo as species evenness indices, Shannon and Brillouin as heterogeneity indicators) were calculated. Finally, using the one-way analysis of variance method, statistical comparison of the averages was carried out. The results showed; A total of 41 plant species were identified in the studied areas, and Margalef, Taxa, Shannon, Brillouin and Fisher's Alpha indices had a significant difference at the five percent level in different geographical directions. So that the highest value of these indices was related to the western direction, respectively 2.55, 12.2, 2.1, 1.88 and 4.05. Simpson's, Menhenik's, Dominance, evenness, Pielo and Berger-Parker indices were also not significantly different from each other in different directions. Although the two western and southern aspects were significantly different from each other regarding most of the indicators, nevertheless, the clustering results of the plant composition of the sites classified these two domains in one cluster with high similarity rate (around 70%). This finding indicates that the diversity indices are not able to provide information about the plant composition and should pay attention to the plant composition when using these indices. Finally, it should be mentioned that although Margalef, Taxa, Shannon, Brillouin and Fisher's alpha indices were able to separate the sites, but the proposal of using these indices in the monitoring plans of rangleands with the dominance of Astragulus microcephalus species in the northwest of the country, requires another researches.

Seed dispersal by ants is one of the methods of seed dispersal that leads to an increase in plant diversity and plant coexistence at the local scale. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the number of plant species, plant families transported by ants, and comparing the genus and species of ants transporting seeds, in Teng-e-Sayad area of Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province. Study areas for collecting ant nest samples include three animal grazing management zones: 1- National Park 2- Protected Area 3- Free Grazing Area. Sampling was done in each study area from the soil related to 3 ant nests in each of the sites from 0 to 5 cm deep. Sampling was done in 2018 during the three months of July, August and Septamber in the study areas. In this experiment, 5 genera and 12 species of ants were identified. The results showed that a total of 62 plant species belonging to 15 plant families were transported by ants, of which 36 plant species were jointly transported by ants in all three regions. The results showed that there is only a significant difference between the ant genera Camponotus and Cataglyphis and also between the two genera Camponotus and Tetramorium (P<0.05). The results showed that the genus Messor, as a predatory ant, has transmitted 19 plant species that have nothing in common with other ant genera, and this ant genus has transmitted a large number of plant species compared to other ant genera. According to the results of this research, Messor can be considered as an ant that transmits a large number of plant species and species seeds and has an important effect on the diversity and presence of species in the vegetation composition

Management of rangelands requires an innovative perspective and forward-looking approaches in a way that can face the challenges of the present age. Climate change and new diseases are examples of challenges for which it is necessary to predict appropriate strategies for the future of rangelands according to their impact. This research aimed to identify the drivers of rangeland management in the Covid-19 pandemic period. For this purpose, the interaction of Covid-19 disease with the main components of rangeland management (pastoralist, livestock, and rangeland) was investigated with the descriptive-analytical method and mutual effects analysis technique. After preparing a 24-item list of influential factors on rangeland management with qualitative approaches, the required information was collected by the questionnaire using the purposeful sampling method from 30 rangeland experts and rangeland exploiters elites in Golestan province in autumn, 2021. Data were analyzed using MICMAC software. The results showed the unstable situation of the rangelands management system in Golestan province. Based on the degree of direct and indirect effect of the factors, the most important drivers of rangeland management included six factors related to the "pastoralist" component, two factors related to the "rangeland" component, and one factor related to “livestock” component which were respectively: "pastoralist's sense of ownership of the range", "pastoralist's knowledge and skill level", "vegetation cover and fodder production of the rangeland", "adherence to the principles of range management", "participation and teamwork of the pastoralist", "proportion of the rangeland in the livelihood of the pastoralist", "job security of the pastoralist", "duration of livestock presence in rangeland ", and "existence drinking water in the rangeland". Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic was not a factor in rangeland management because it did not affect the rangeland management system, nor was affected by other factors. According to the findings, a scenario for managing ranges in Golestan province was developed and practical suggestions were presented.

Protected areas are among the renewable natural resources that have a special position due to having many environmental values. The model of environmental destruction is one of the methods of evaluating the effects of the environment, which analyzes and quantitatively determines the effects of human activities in the regional scale or watershed or any type of management unit. The purpose of this research is environmental impact assessment of development with using the destruction model and geographic information system (GIS) in Ashtrankoh protected area. First, Ashtrankoh protected area was divided into 554 grids and using field observations, opinions of experts and local people, and available information and maps, the number of 11 factors of destruction were identified and their severity was determined. Then, the ecological vulnerability and physiological density were calculated and then the destruction coefficients were obtained using the destruction relationship. Then, the ecological vulnerability and physiological density were calculated and then the destruction coefficients were obtained using the destruction relationship. Finally, all the networks were divided into 4 zones based on the fuzzy theory, with the ability to develop more, in need of reconstruction, in need of protective measures, and non-developable. According to the final results, out of a total of 554 networks, 524 networks, which is equivalent to 94.58% of the area of the Ashtrankoh protected area, are susceptible to further development, 28 networks, which is equivalent to 5.06% of the studied area, need to be reconstructed and 2 networks, which are equivalent to 36. It occupies 0.36% of the protected area of Ashtrankoh, they need protective measures.

Deforestation and land-used changes of forest is considered as a global crisis that have had a growing and worrying trend. A considerable area of ​​land has been affected, especially due to changing natural forest to agronomy land used. In this regard, the present research was conducted with the aim of analyzing the influencing factors of forest land use change in Golestan province based on the opinion of experts and conservation forces. The population studied in the current research includes experts, forces of the natural resources protection unit and forest rangers in Golestan province, of which 100 people were selected as a sample. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire, the validity of which was tested using the opinions of natural resources experts. Its reliability was calculated by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS25 and Smart PLS3 software. Results showed positive and significant effect of driving forces including “weaknesses of livelihood of Local Communities and high dependence to forest resources”, “human activities and damages of natural disturbances”, “organizational and managerial weaknesses”, and “weaknesses of laws and regulations and their implementation gaps (at 1% level) and unbalanced development of economic activities (at 5% level) on land-used change of forested areas in Golestan Province. The findings indicated that land-used changes of Golestan’s forest had the most to the least effected by "illegal exploitation", "foundation and construction development" and "smuggling of wood and non-wood products". According to the obtained results, suggestions and practical solutions were presented in order to prevent the land-used change of forest.

Valuation of intangible goods and services resulting from natural environments has become increasingly important nowadays and in its local, national and international dimensions has found a special place in discussions related to the destruction of natural resources and deforestation. Because quantifying ecosystem functions and estimating their economic value has a great impact on regulating the process of exploiting these resources. In this research, an attempt has been made to study and evaluate the ecosystem services of the northern part of the Central Alborz Protected Area, including the function of water and soil conservation.  At first, the desired services in the ecosystem were identified, and then the replacement cost and opportunity cost approaches were used to estimate the economic value of the functions of water and soil conservation and regulation. The results showed that the total value of water conservation function in the ecosystem of the region was estimated at 4007688 Tomans per hectare that the function of water storage with 3244722 had the highest value among the aspects. Also, other results of research on soil conservation showed that the economic value of this function by each hectare of the ecosystem of the region is estimated at 60306.5 Tomans, so that in this function, to sediment control has the most value among other aspects.  Evaluating the ecosystem water and soil conservation services of the region can provide more accurate information to managers and planners in order to protect natural resources and lead to more detailed plans in this area.

Knowing the ecological characteristics of plant species and their response to environmental factors provides the necessary information for managing vegetation and improving  of rangelands. Due to the importance of the  Chaerophyllum macropodum and its role in soil protection and forage production, we conducted a study of the ecological needs and determining the ecological factors affecting in plant cover and the response of the species to changes in ecological factors, using the Canonical Correspondence Analysis method ( CCA) and Generalized Additive Models (GAM) in Mazandaran province. The results of conventional comparative analysis showed that environmental factors such as altitude, aspect, phosphorous, organic carbon, organic material, pH, Ec, %sand, saturated moisture percentage and lime  of soil, respectively with the expression of 5.9, 5.6, 2, 2, 1.8, 1.7, 1.7, 1.6 and 1.3 percent of the variance in plant composition had an important role in the changes of plant cover in the studied habitats. The response of the species to the amount of phosphorus and potassium follows the monotonic decrease model. The response of species to the percentage of silt, sand, organic material, organic carbon,nitrogen,line and aspect  follows the bell model (Unimodal) and the optimal growth limit For each of these factors, it is 20%, 55%, 5%, 35,0.45 and north and westnorth slopes. The study of the response of the species  to environmental and soil factors provided valuable information to determine the ecological needs of this species, which can be taken into consideration in the operation of rangelands improvement in similar areas.

Banqueting operations play an important role in the improvement of rangelands. In this regard, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of the improvement operation of banqueting on vegetation characteristics in the rangelands of Fasa. Two areas were selected including area with banqueting operation and control, in each area 3 transects with 100 meters length were established. Along each transect, 10 plots of 2 x 2 m2 were established. In each plot, the characteristics of percentage cover and density of all observed species, percentage of stones and pebbles, litter and bare soil were measured. For evaluate plant composition in two areas, plant functional types were used.  Statistical analysis was done using statistical software.  42 plant species were observed in the banqueting area and 33 species were observed in the control area. The results of the t-test showed that there was a significant difference between the canopy percentage, density, litter, stones and pebbles, and bare soil in the banqueting and the control areas (P <0.01). The canopy cover, density of plant species and the amount of litter in the banqueting area increased by 30.57, 3.13 and 3.16%, respectively. The banqueting area has significantly improved the coverage of perennial and annual species compared to the control area. The banqueting area, has improved the palatability classes II significantly compared to the control area. According to the ecological indicators considered in this study, banqueting area operations are recommended to restore vegetation in arid and semi-arid areas.

One of the goals of natural resource management is to preserve biodiversity in natural ecosystems. In this research, the effect of topographical factors on species diversity in the elevation gradient of Grain mountains rangeland in Delfan County in 2022 was investigated. In this elevation gradient, five habitats were selected. Vegetation typing was done by the physiognomic method and in the Key area of ​​each plant type, vegetation sampling was done by a random-systematic method. The sampling plot area was determined by the minimum area method (one to four square meters) and the number of plots was determined by statistical method for each habitat, 30 plots. Three transects with a length of 100 m were deployed in each habitat and 10 plots were sampled along each transect (30 plots per habitat). Species were collected from the surface of the plots, identified and their vegetative form was determined. The Biodiversity of plant species was calculated using dominance, Shannon-Wiener and Simpson diversity indices, Margalf and Mannhing richness index and homogeneity index Hill using PAST software. A One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the differences between sites and the Duncan test was used to compare the means. In order to determine the most important factors affecting species diversity changes, principal component analysis was used. The results showed that changes in height, slope and direction had a significant effect on the indices of diversity, richness, homogeneity and dominance at the level of all plants. At the total level of plants, the highest values ​​of richness and diversity indices were observed at an altitude of more than 2600 meters and dominance at an altitude of 1850 meters. In low slope (0-15%) the dominance index had the highest value and the indices of diversity, richness and uniformity in slopes higher than 30% had higher values. Most indices in northern, northwestern and western geographical directions had higher values ​​than in other directions and the difference was significant (P <0.01). The results of the principal component analysis showed that high altitude and slope and north, west and northwest directions have the most impact on species diversity in the study area. In general, it can be concluded that due to the number of livestock exceeding the grazing capacity and human activities in the lower elevations of the studied area, species diversity and richness have decreased.

Understanding the relationship between vegetation and environmental factors is effective in better managing the ecosystem of an area. In this research, the molecular, morphological, pollinological and anatomical indices of Juniperus excelsa in North Khorasan Province, Goinik Jargalan region were evaluated. Using the nuclear marker (ITS), the sequence of this taxon was compared with the sequences in the NCBI. Homologous evolution through recombination or unequal gene exchange has caused the convergence of nuclear sequence repeats. Morphological indices of female cone and seed were studied. Pollen grains were examined by light microscope (LM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that all single pollen grains were Ulcurate type, asymmetrical and small in size. They are prolate spheroidal with granulate exine. The outline of the pollen in LM is circular with a smooth surface and no holes, but in the pollen grains examined in the SEM, they are irregular and have holes. Transverse section of stem and leaf was examined in anatomical studies. The results obtained from leaf anatomical studies showed that in J. excelsa species, the average external length of stomata is 28.47 micrometers and its internal length is 17.18 micrometers. Also, the average external width of the aperture was 13.66 µm and the internal width of the aperture was 4.87 µm. The density of the stomata in the unit is 136 (mm2). In the transverse section, the cross-section of juniperus stem has a circular shape in the top branches, because the average longitudinal and transverse diameters of the region do not differ much. The average diameter of the large cross section is 286.3 µm and the small diameter of the cross section is 278.5 µm and the average thickness of the skin is 201.8 µm. In the discussion of restoration and reproduction of endangered species, finding a suitable natural place for the production and breeding of these species is very important. Therefore, if the protection of J. excelsa species is neglected due to the easy access of human factors to this area, the risk of destruction threatens them as well as other rare plant species.

Charcoal production is one of the major exploitative processes of forests in Lorestan province (especially the middle Zagros). It causes deforestation and forest degradation. The objective of this study is to investigate the challenges of charcoal production in the forests of Bastam, located in Aleshtar county of Lorestan province. For this purpose, a questionnaire was prepared, after a field survey, using the experience of local experts, for an interview with local charcoal production role-makers. Based on the strategic positioning matrix and strategic action matrix, we determine the most important strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, to be identified by local charcoal production role-makers. The results showed that the most important strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the charcoal between experts were considering local livelihoods and increasing household income is deforestation (density reduction, canopy cover, and gradual deforestation), reducing rural migration to the city and endangering the sustainability of the forest, respectively. Local role-makers emphasized weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, including respiratory and visual impairment, and bodies burns, the Possibility of setting up a collaborative management system, and the presence of people outside the rural custom for charcoal. The positions (-13.48, -26.09), (-17.29, -29.77), and (-0.5, -12.5) were obtained, respectively. Thus the matrix of position assessment and strategic action confirmed the defensive strategy (in terms of total statistics and experts) and conservative (in terms of local people). For optimal forest management and reduction of coal production proposed to empower local communities and create small funds in the direction of reforestation and forest regeneration, and to reduce and eliminate coal from oak trees.

Locusts are an important part of food chains and networks in pastures, but in high density they cause damage to pastures and agricultural products. Golestan province is one of the centers of the Moroccan locust (Dociostaurus maroccanus) in Iran. This research examines the degree of importance of environmental factors and their levels on the Moroccan locust from the point of view of local experts in Golestan province. This research was conducted in 2020 by interviewing a questionnaire from 200 experts, farmers, ranchers, nomads of the region and local experts who have collaborated for years in the fight to reduce the density of Moroccan locusts in the province. The information collected from the questionnaire about the degree of importance of the influence of 15 ecological factors on the locust was entered into PAST statistical software and multivariate factor analysis was used for analysis. The results showed that the degree of importance of 6 factors of soil moisture, soil texture, type of vegetation, rainfall, relative humidity and temperature is more than other factors and these factors are effective in the habitat and increase of density of Moroccan locust .

Zagros forests cover a large area of the Iran and play an important role in soil protection storing underground water and other socio-economic services. Forests play an important role in the natural storage of carbon on a global scale and their protection is one of the important and sustainable strategies to deal with global warming. Therefore, the sustainable management of these areas requires information to understand and predict the changes of these forests. This research aimed to estimate the biomass and amount of carbon storage of Iranian oak trees, which are one of the most important elements of the Zagros forests, by using the combinathion of field inventory and Google Earth images. According to the results of the previous study in this area, the average diameter of the crown is a suitable variable for estimating the biomass of the Iranian oak species. For this purpose, the average diameter of the crown of the Iranian oak trees in the Dadabad region of Lorestan in an area of 488 hectares, using Google Earth images by ImageJ software was measured. The results showed that the amount of biomass on the ground for the Iranian oak species was 9.68 tons per hectare. Also, the amount of carbon storage estimated for the oak forests 6.427 tons per hectare. The results of this study and its comparison with other studies showed that non-destructive methods such as remote sensing and the use of satellite images and their integration with local allometric equations, allow the estimation of the amount of biomass and carbon storage in large areas with proper accuracy.

Native and endemic plants are considered valuable genetic reserves of each region and are of special importance due to having favorable morphological traits, resistance to pests and diseases, and adaptability to ecological conditions. This research was carried out with the aim of providing a floristic list and identifying the biological and soil characteristics of medicinal plants in Langerud city. Soil samples were also taken from the surface horizon of habitats and their characteristics including soil texture, soil reaction, electrical conductivity and organic carbon percentage were measured. 78 species of medicinal plants belonging to 42 families and 72 plant genera were identified. Of these, Asteraceae is the largest family with 10 species. Also, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Apiaceae and Poaceae families are the next large families with eight, five, five, four and three species, respectively. Aspleniaceae, Brassicaceae, Malvaceae, Hypericaceae, Lythraceae, Onagraceae and Urticaceae consist of two species.  Other identified families include one species. The highest percentage of life form and chorological type of the identified medicinal plant species in the region are Hemicryptophyte (He) and Polyregional (PL) elements, respectively. Also, assessment of the characteristics of the habitats of these plants in the height range of -15 to 325 m.a.s.l. showed the uniformity of the soil texture in the medium to light class, electrical conductivity less than 1 dS/m, soil reaction acidic and good organic matter content. The habitat of many of these species is in the hilly and mountainous areas, in addition to lowlands and plains and around paddy fields.