Journal of Rangeland Science (JRS)Estimation of Vegetation and Land Use Changes Using Remote Sensing Techniques and Geographical Information System (Case Study: Roodab Plain, Sabzevar City)Volume 4 (2014)Issue 1, January 201420240130Estimation of Vegetation and Land Use Changes Using Remote Sensing Techniques and Geographical Information System (Case Study: Roodab Plain, Sabzevar City)ENAliAriapourDepartment of Range Management, Borujerd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Borujerd, Lorestan Province, Iran0000-0001-6783-0680AbolghasemDadrasi SabzevarFaculty Member of Research Agriculture and Natural Resources Center of Razavi KhorasanSaraToloeeRangeland Management Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Boroujerd BranchJournal Article20240130Land use may be regarded as one of the most important factors affecting the
environment with respect to human activities. So far, destroying the rangelands and
changing them into the waste lands and poor rangelands has been proposed as the most
significant variations of land use done by human beings. This paper has been conducted to
evaluate the variations of vegetation percentage and land uses in Barabad-Darook village
with the area of 1522.99 km2 in Sabzevar city during 1987-2007. Thus, using satellitebased
images of TM and ETM+, the most appropriate band composition has been selected
and a mapping of vegetation cover and land use was provided through maximum
likelihood algorithms to correct the errors of geometer and radiometer highlights. At last,
the accuracy of extracted maps was to be determined by the means of overall accuracy test
and Kappa coefficient in order to achieve the validation of research process. Results
indicate that waste lands have been increased from 84.75 to 89.49 and third-rated
rangelands have been reduced from 6.85 to 4.14 percent. On the other hand, first-rated
rangelands were reduced from 0.03 to 0.01 percent which covers 5170791.45 m2 of total
area in the district. Also, the results show that irrigated agricultural lands are to be
decreased from 6.53 to 0.07 percent. In total, due to improper exploitations of regional
water resources and vegetation cover, land uses have been changed into fallow and waste
lands leading to the decrease in the percentage cover of high quality rangelands. Research
findings demonstrate that considering the accepted accuracy, new remote sensing
technology can be applied to exactly estimate the area changes of land use and vegetation.Journal of Rangeland Science (JRS)Effects of Salinity and Drought Stresses on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Desert Wheatgrass Agropyron desertorumVolume 4 (2014)Issue 1, January 201420240130Effects of Salinity and Drought Stresses on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Desert Wheatgrass Agropyron desertorumENHamidReza Saeedi GoraghaniRange Management, Department of Reclamation of Arid and Mountainous Regions,
University of TehranGhodratAlah HeidaryCollege of Natural Resources, Agriculture Science and Natural Resources University of
SariMojtabaSolaimani SardoCombat Desertification, Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Science, University of
KashanJournal Article20240130Considering forage grass species, germination is one of the important stages
concerning the growing stage that is often influenced by environmental stresses,
particularly salinity and drought stresses. Thus, this study aims to assess the effects of
salinity and drought stresses on germination characteristics and seedling growth of desert
wheatgrass, Agropyron desertorum (Fisch. ex Link) Schult. in laboratory conditions. Two
separate experiments were conducted using completely randomized design with four
replicates. Six salinity treatments (control, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 300 mM NaCl) and six
drought treatments (control, -0.2, -0.4, -0.6, -0.8 and -1 MPa polyethylene glycol) were
utilized in four replicates. Germination percentage and rate were calculated while
computing the germinated seeds every day. Growth parameters (rootlet, shoot and seedling
length), allometric index and seed vigor have been accordingly given. For each
experiment, one-way ANOVA was used to determine significant effects of treatments and
mean comparison was done by the means of Duncan method using SPSS software. Results
showed that salinity and drought stresses had the significant effects on germination and
growth indices of Agropyron desertorum so that germination rate and percentage, root
length, shoot length, seedling length and seed vigor indices were decreased by increasing
the concentrations of salinity and drought treatments. Also, seed germination and growth
were observed only until -0.4 MPa drought level so that germination at φs = -0.6 MP was
completely stopped.Journal of Rangeland Science (JRS)Detection of Land Use Changes for Thirty Years Using Remote Sensing and GIS (Case Study: Ardestan Area)Volume 4 (2014)Issue 1, January 201420240130Detection of Land Use Changes for Thirty Years Using Remote Sensing and GIS (Case Study: Ardestan Area)ENMasoudNasriIslamic Azad University, Ardestan Branch, ArdestanAlirezaSarsangiSenior Specialist for Remote Sensing and GIS, Ahwaz Chamran UniversityHassanYeganehDepartment of Natural Resources, Gorgan University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, IranJournal Article20240130Due to the increase of changes in the land uses mainly resulting from human
interferences, monitoring the changes and evaluating their trend and environmental effects
for future planning and management are essential. In the present study, an attempt is made
to observe the changes which had occurred in Ardestan area during a period of 30 years
using some satellite images. Different kinds of data for every year in three time intervals of
1976, 1990 and 2006 were retrieved from the images; then, using LMM model and GIS
software, the rate of changes for each piece of data was calculated. Different methods of
classification were tested. In this study, four classes of land uses were gained for each year.
The results show that for 30 years, the area of residential zones had increased from 313.9
to 528.3 ha and the area of agricultural lands had decreased from 440.6 to 346.3 ha. Also,
considering the changes of the area, almost 31% of the total area of the region had
undergone some changes during the studied period which is a symptom of man
interference. Studies have also shown that changes of rangeland into residential lands had
occupied the maximum area during last 30 years.Journal of Rangeland Science (JRS)Investigating the Effects of Soil Factors on Biodiversity in Plant Communities of Karvan Rangeland (Case Study: Isfahan Province, Iran)Volume 4 (2014)Issue 1, January 201420240130Investigating the Effects of Soil Factors on Biodiversity in Plant Communities of Karvan Rangeland (Case Study: Isfahan Province, Iran)ENHabibYazdanshenasUniversity of TehranMohammadJafariDepartment of Reclamation of Arid and Mountainous Regions, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, IranHosseinAzarnivandDepartment of Reclamation of Arid and Mountainous Regions, Faculty of Natural Resources, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Tehran, KarajHosseinArzaniTehran university0000-0002-9149-8865MaliheNasiriRange Management, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of KashanJournal Article20240130Understanding the plant species diversity could be used as an important
indicator applied for the natural areas management. The aim of this study was to
investigate the relationships between soil characterizes with distribution and diversity of
plant in vegetation types in Karvan district (located in west of Isfahan province). For this
purpose, three vegetation types were selected as follows: Scariola orientalis-Astragalus
gossypinus (Sc.or-As.go), Hordeum fragile-Astragalus gossypinus (Ho.fr-As.go) and
Cousinia bachtiarica-Astragalus gossypinus (Cu.ba-As.go). Then, four transects random
sampling - systematic bias to the general and lateral slope of the region in each vegetation
type were placed and the name and other characterize of the plants were recorded by 90 of
randomly quadrate one m2, also the soil samples of the start and end of each transect from
two different depths (0-20 and 20-75 cm) of soil were taken. Soil samples were analyzed
and the physicochemical factors were measured. Diversity indices such as Menhinick,
Margalef and Fisher alpha were analyzed by VMSP software and soil data were analyzed
by PC-ORD software. The results of numerical indices showed a different diversity index
in vegetation types and there were significant correlation between some soil properties and
diversity index. It was concluded that the Sc.or-As.go type had the highest diversity in
comparison with the other vegetation types (Ho.fr-As.go and Cu.ba-As.go). Finally soil
properties such as organic matter, clay and soil depth had positive and the amount of lime
and gypsum had negative correlation with species diversity.Journal of Rangeland Science (JRS)Diversity of Plants and Animals in Mountain Ecosystems in TajikistanVolume 4 (2014)Issue 1, January 201420240130Diversity of Plants and Animals in Mountain Ecosystems in TajikistanENVictorR SquiresEcology and Resources Group, Gansu Agricultural University, LanzhouNeymatollaSafarovNational Centre for Biodiversity and Bio-safety, Dushanbe, TajikistanJournal Article20240130Tajikistan is a hotspot of plant and animal species diversity and endemism and
is important for the conservation of biodiversity on a global scale. The country is located at
a biological crossroads. Species from Central and Northern Europe, Central Asia, the
Middle East, and North Africa mingle here with endemics found nowhere else. The
richness of Tajikistan‘s biodiversity shows up at the genetic, species, population, and
ecosystem levels. There are many relic and endemic species, with most of the components
of biodiversity vulnerable to anthropogenic factors. Proximate threats such as poaching,
overfishing, illegal logging, and overgrazing are causing irreversible damage to
biodiversity in the Tajikistan hotspot. Threats stem from economic and social problems,
the lack of environmental awareness, poor management and enforcement capabilities, and
the lack of transboundary cooperation. Conversion of land use, from biologically complex
uses, such as mixed-crop agriculture, to less complex uses, such as mono-crop agriculture,
has also reduced biodiversity. An example of the problem of biodiversity loss is
simplification of agriculture systems. When a mixed-crop and livestock farm is converted
to a single-crop enterprise, the landscape has lost ecological niches. International donors
have provided considerable support to help resolve some of these issues. Funding
opportunities exist, particularly in promoting transboundary cooperation, training
conservation professionals, building environmental awareness and demonstrating the
benefits of sustainable resource use. Close cooperation across borders will be required for
conservation of unique and threatened ecosystems in the Central Asian region. An analysis
of the present status of biodiversity conservation in Tajikistan and the constraints to
successful implementation of the National Action Plan is presented here. Problems and
prospects are discussed.Journal of Rangeland Science (JRS)Assessment of Climatic Drought and Its Economic Effects (Case Study: South Khorasan Province)Volume 4 (2014)Issue 1, January 201420240130Assessment of Climatic Drought and Its Economic Effects (Case Study: South Khorasan Province)ENSaraNakhaee Nezhad FardDeserts Region Management, Faculty of Natural Resources University of TehranKamranKarimiDeserts Region Management, Faculty of Natural Resources University of TehranHassanKhosraviFaculty of Natural Resources, University of TehranJournal Article20240130In this research Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) in a period of 22 years
(1990 to 2011) was used for zoning of climatic and agricultural drought in South Khorasan
province, Iran. Rainfall data of six synoptic stations were collected and used for evaluation
of meteorological drought. Also, reports of some local offices such as natural resources,
agriculture, regional water and environment department were provided to study the effect
of agricultural economic drought. At first, the elevation-precipitation regression of each
period was obtained then this relationship was applied on Digital Evaluation Model (DEM)
layer using ArcGIS 9.3 software. The result showed that the most severity droughts
occurred in 2008, 2000, 2006 and 2011 respectively. In 2008 more than 66% of the study
area were classified as extremely drought class. The result of agricultural drought showed
that the total annual rangelands forage production of South Khorasan province that
expected to be 625000 tons reduced to 250000 tons during period of 2007 to 2011. Also
the agricultural production was faced with 45% reduction and caused rising poverty and
unemployment, immigration from rural area to urban, in evacuated villages.Journal of Rangeland Science (JRS)Vulnerability Analysis of Flood in Rangelands Using Multi Criteria Decision Analysis and Geographic Information System (Case Study: Gilard Basin, Damavand, Iran(Volume 4 (2014)Issue 1, January 201420240130Vulnerability Analysis of Flood in Rangelands Using Multi Criteria Decision Analysis and Geographic Information System (Case Study: Gilard Basin, Damavand, Iran(ENAliAkbar DamavandiAgricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, IranMahdiPanahiPostgraduate M.Sc. in Geophysics, Islamic Azad University, Tehran BranchJournal Article20240130Flood disaster is considered as a major natural hazard due to its devastating
effects on the affected areas. Determining the flood vulnerable areas is important for
decision makers in order to perform planning and management activities. Geographical
Information System (GIS) is integrated with Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA)
used to analyze the flood vulnerable areas. The aim of this research was to provide more
flexible and accurate decisions to evaluate the causative factors for planning and
management of rangelands of Gilard, Damavand. So, effective factors influencing flood
occurrence in the study area was first surveyed. Some of the causative factors for flood in
the watershed such as mean annual precipitation, basin area, basin slope, drainage density,
land uses and soil type were taken into account. Then, through assembling spatial and
descriptive information related to the study area and using Analytic Hierarchy Process
(AHP), the criteria have been grouped and weighted. At the end, as regards of ultimate
weight, the basin was classified into five classes. Results of this research show that mean
annual precipitation and Sedimentation Rate with the average values of 26.5% and 2.01%
had maximum and minimum effects on flood occurrence in rangeland of Gilard in
Damavand, respectively.Journal of Rangeland Science (JRS)Study on the Environmental Factors Contributing to Distribution of Thymus kotschyanus in Taleghan Basin, IranVolume 4 (2014)Issue 1, January 201420240130Study on the Environmental Factors Contributing to Distribution of Thymus kotschyanus in Taleghan Basin, IranENLeilaDarvishiDepartment of Rangeland Management, University of TehranMohammadAli Zare chahoukiUniversity of Tehran, Tehran, IranMohammadJafariDepartment of Reclamation of Arid and Mountainous Regions, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, IranHusseinAzarnivandDepartment of Rehabilitation of Arid and Mountainous Regions, Faculty of Natural Resources, University
of TehranMajidYousefi ValikchaliFaculty of Forest Science, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences & Natural ResourcesJournal Article20240130Growth and productivity of plants are mainly affected by various environmental
factors in different ecosystems and natural habitat in the world. This research aims to study
the existing relationships between the phytosociology characteristics of Thymus
kotschyanus and environmental factors in order to find the most important factors
governing development of the species in middle Taleghan rangelands, Iran. Subsequent to
indicating the study region, the required flora and environmental data were collected by
field survey. Plot size and sample size were determined by minimum area and vegetation
procedure methods, using 40 plots along four 100 m transects. The characteristics
including floristic list, percentage of canopy cover, number of plants as well as height, the
largest and smallest diameter, and freshness of T. kotschyanus were recorded. Likewise,
bare soil percentage, litter percentage, and stone and gravel percentage of topsoil were
recorded in each plot. Moreover, in order to study the soil features, eight soil profiles were
taken in each site up to 30 cm depth at the beginning and end of each transect.
Classification of vegetation cover was performed by TWINSPAN analysis while factors
influencing the change in vegetation characteristics of T. kotschyanus were determined by
PCA analysis. Results demonstrated that factors involving slope, altitude, organic matter,
lime content, nitrogen content and soil texture show the highest impact on vegetation
characteristics. Overall, variables including elevation ranging between 2300-2500 m, slope
in the range of 20% - 40%, and fertile sandy loam textured soils in presence of nitrogen
and high organic matter content as well as low lime content provide the most suitable
condition to develop a high production T. kotschyanus.