Compare the environment factors affecting the distribution of Species Prangos ferulacea and Prangos pabularia in Rangelands of Ardabil Province

     The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of environmental factors on Prangos ferulacea Lindl. and P. pabularia Lindl. distribution in the rangelands of Ardabil province. Seven habitats of Prangos genus were identified, so that P. ferulacea was distributed in three habitats and P. papularia in two habitats. In each habitat, sampling sites were identified and in each site three transects of 100m  were established, and the density of the study species were recorded in ten plots of 4m2. Soil samples were taken from the depth of 0 to 30 cm at the start, middle and end of each transect. In the vicinity of each habitat, sampling was done in the same way. In sampling plots, elevation, slope, aspect, and soil characteristics such as organic matter, N, P, K, pH, EC, and texture were measured. To investigate the effects of environmental factors on the presence or absence of the study species and to compare the characteristics of the variables measured one-way ANOVA and Tukey test were used.Discriminant analysis was used to determine the degree of importance of the environmental variables measured in the distribution of the study species. Results showed that P. pabularia was distributed in the habitats with the high content of P, clay, EC, rainfall, sand, slope and pH; while P. ferulacea was distributed where the elevation was high but rainfall and the content of K were low. According to the results of discriminant analysis, variables such as EC, organic matter, K, elevation, slope, aspect, silt, clay, rainfall, and temperature were effective in discrimination of sites and species distribution. The results of the present study could be useful to propose the species for range management, improvement and reclamation.