Investigating plant diversity indices, soil characteristics and floristic quality in three different forest types in Zagros

This study investigated the variation in plant diversity, floristic quality indices, and the forest integrity of various broadleaf forest types.

In this study, we used 288 plots of 1m2 in the middle Zagros forest to investigate the role of three forest types including Quercus infectoria, Quercus brantii, and Pyrus glabra on forest diversity indices and floristic quality

results revealed significant differences in Shannon wiener, Margalef, and Menhinic indices, as well as some soil properties, between forest types, but no significant differences in evenness and Simpson indices. Diversity indices mean coefficient of conservatism and floristic quality index (FQI) were significantly greater in the protected forest dominated by Quercus infectoria than in other protected forests.

This study demonstrates that tree species and certain topographical and edaphic factors have distinct effects on the distribution of understory plants, plant diversity, and floristic quality in different forest types. The results of this research, while confirming the use of plant diversity indices, also introduce the conservatism coefficient and species fidelity as additional tools in evaluating forest integrity, because by using them, more and better information can be obtained about the conditions of the forest.