Investigating soil qualitative properties affected by plant patches with different growth forms in Fasa Mianjangal region

Study of important soil properties and vegetation attributes can give us awareness of the potential of rangelands and make it possible to determine their condition. O In this regard, the present study was carried out with the aim of studying the structural and functional attributes of different growth forms on soil surface indices in the Mianjangal Catchment, Fasa. Eleven soil surface indicators were measured along three 100-meter transects using Landscape Function Analysis. The measured factors were classified to assess functional potentials (stability, infiltration, nutrient cycle). Structural attributes including number of patches, length and width of patches, the percentage of patch length to the transect length, patch area index and organization index were investigated. In general, four ecological patches including shrub, bush, grass and forb and the space between the patches (bare and litter) were identified in the study area. The organization index of patch area index were 0.41 and 0.03 in the study area respectively. The results showed that plant patches with different growth forms had different effects on ecosystem function. The growth form shrub had the highest stability, which had a significant difference with other growth forms. In terms of infiltration index in the study area, there were no significant differences between ecological patches with shrub and grass growth forms. Soil nutrient cycle also had a significant difference between ecological patches and also inter-patches. The shrub growth form had the highest amount of nutrient cycle.