the purpose of this study was to evaluate the species-environment relationships in arid and semi-arid rangelandsof nodushan, yazd. the plant species cover and the environmental variables were measured at 9 sites. soil sampleswere taken for measurement of 12 attributes in 0-10 cm and 10-80 cm layers. vegetation was classified using twowayindicator species analysis (twinspan). data was analyzed u...

abstract over the last fifty years, most of the semi-arid rangeland in iran has been converted to cropland without an equivalent reduction in grazing animals. this shift has led to heavy grazing pressure on rangeland vegetation. the present study has been conducted in sisab research station in the north khorasan province to evaluate effects of long-term grazing exclosures on biodiversity of ran...

the purpose of this study was to investigate vegetation dynamics and range conditions considering the climatic conditions and soil properties in doolat gharin in the south of isfahan province of an area equal to 25 square kilometer. for this purpose, after determining vegetation types and associated species, the type of rangeland utilization, grazing season, the type of livestock and other rele...

Biological Soil Crusts (BSCs), consisting of prokaryotes, microalgae, lichens, mosses and eventually small vascular plants, cover wide areas in arid and semi-arid environments. In the present study, the microbial diversity of these crusts was explored at extrazonal mountain steppe sites in the western Khentej (Northern Mongolia). At the study site the Siberian taiga borders on the Mongolian-Dau...

Aims Evapotranspiration (ET) is a key component of water balance and is closely linked to ecosystem productivity. In arid regions, large proportion of precipitation (PPT) is returned to the atmosphere through ET, with only a small amount available to plants. Our objective was to examine the variability in ET–soil water relationship based on a set of ecosystems that are representative for semi-a...

The effects of grazing rest on rangelands are different in different climates and knowledge of these effects is necessary to apply correct management. For this purpose, this study was carried out on the percent vegetation cover (PVC) and forage production (FP) of range species at the Nir Range Research Station in Yazd province as a model of steppe rangelands of Iran. In the study area, differen...

Livestock overgrazing can threaten the ecological integrity of rangelands, and can also threaten the sustainability of pastoralist societies who depend on rangelands for their livelihood. Using facilitator plants in the restoration of degraded semi-arid rangelands offers a promising strategy because in such environments, facilitators can ameliorate harsh conditions that often limit the establis...