Mohsen Amani; Ali Asghar Naghipour; Ataollah Ebrahimi; Zahra Heidari; Mohammadreza Ashrafzadeh
Abstract
Carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems is an important part of global carbon storage and plays a vital role in mitigating climate change. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of different types of land uses/land covers (dense rangelands, semi-dense rangelands, low density rangelands, ...
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Carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems is an important part of global carbon storage and plays a vital role in mitigating climate change. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of different types of land uses/land covers (dense rangelands, semi-dense rangelands, low density rangelands, barren lands and agricultural lands) on the amount of soil carbon and plant biomass sequestration as an important ecosystem service in Sefiddasht watershed in in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province. Sampling of soil and vegetation was done randomly and systematically. For this purpose, 60 plots of 4 square meters were used for collecting soil, plant material and litter. Plant biomass was sampled by direct measurement method. Soil samples were also collected from the depth of 0-30 cm and 20 samples in each area. The results showed that there is a significant difference between the investigated regions in terms of total carbon storage. The total carbon storage from the highest to the lowest in order includes dense rangelands (46.42 tons/ha), semi-dense rangelands (38.49 tons/ha), agricultural lands (31.62 tons/ha), low-density rangelands (26.12 tons) per hectare) and barren lands (17.21 tons per hectare). The economic value of the total carbon storage per hectare of the examined uses, including dense rangelands, semi-dense rangelands, agricultural lands, low-dense rangelands, and barren lands, was determined to be $5446, $4516, $3710, $3065, and $2019, respectively. Therefore, it can be concluded that the implementation of appropriate policies to prevent or minimize the conversion of land uses with a higher carbon storage capacity to land uses with a lower carbon storage capacity is of particular importance.
Fereshteh Babaei; Ataollah Ebrahimi; Ali Asghar Naghipour; Maryam Haidarian
Abstract
Climate change is one of the main determinants of plant species redistribution and biodiversity loss. This study aims to predict the impacts of climate change on the geographic distribution of Agropyron intermedium in Chaharmahal-va-Bakhtiari province as a part of Central Zagros, Iran. The presence points ...
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Climate change is one of the main determinants of plant species redistribution and biodiversity loss. This study aims to predict the impacts of climate change on the geographic distribution of Agropyron intermedium in Chaharmahal-va-Bakhtiari province as a part of Central Zagros, Iran. The presence points of studied species were recorded from our field surveys in the studied area. In this study, we used the ensemble predictions based on five species distribution models. The future projections were made for the year 2070 with three scenarios SSP126, SSP370, and SSP585, and two general circulation models GFDL-ESM4 and MRI-ESM2-0. According to the results, Random forest model and the generalized boosted model were recognized as the most reliable models for predicting species distribution. The most effective variables in the suitability of the A. intermedium species habitat were, respectively, elevation, Precipitation of wettest month, and slope. According to the finding, about 21.26% of the study area for A. intermedium species have had suitable habitats. The decline of suitable habitats of A. intermedium will be 36.06% to 63.20% under the GFDL-ESM4 general circulation model and 36.69% to 65.17% under MRI- ESM2 general circulation model due to climate change. The results also indicated that climate change will alter the range size of studied species and will probably shift to higher elevations in the future. The results of this study can be used to protect the habitat of the range plant species, as well as its rehabilitation and restoration.
Ali Asghar Naghipour; Maedeh Sharifi; Ataollah Ebrahimi; Elham Ghesareh Ardestani; Sina Nabizadeh
Abstract
Fire is one of the important ecological factors that affect the dynamics of rangeland vegetation. In recent decades, the incidence of wildfires in semi-steppe rangelands has increased significantly, challenging the adaptive capacity of plants for post-fire regeneration. In the present study, the germination ...
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Fire is one of the important ecological factors that affect the dynamics of rangeland vegetation. In recent decades, the incidence of wildfires in semi-steppe rangelands has increased significantly, challenging the adaptive capacity of plants for post-fire regeneration. In the present study, the germination response of eight annual and perennial herbaceous species of semi-steppe rangelands of Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province to fire products treatments including heat (60, 80 and 100° C), smoke, ash, and the combined effect of heat and smoke treatments were investigated. Also, percentage cover change of studied species, one year after the fire were measured in the field. The results showed that the germination of seeds of eight studied plant species showed a significant positive or negative reaction to at least one of the fire product treatments. Combined treatment of smoke and 60° C caused a significant increase in the mean germination percentage of Heteranthelium piliferum. This treatment also significantly reduced the mean germination time of Cousinia cylindracea. Ash treatment also increased the mean germination percentage of Alyssum linifolium and Stachys lavandulifolia. Vegetation sampling results also showed that among the eight species studied, H. piliferum and Taeniatherum crinitum were fire adapted and six species were tolerant. The results of this study can be used as a potential factor to understand the dynamics of vegetation and restoration of degraded rangelands.
