Plant diversity along an elevation gradient in hyrcanian forest of Northern Iran

• Autorzy: Ataei Eshagh , Kazemnezhad Farid , Eshaghnimvari Majid , Sheykholeslami Ali

Identyfikatory

DOI

10.3161/15052249PJE2020.70.2.001

• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

Species diversity is one of the most important and fundamental issues in ecology. The present study was conducted to evaluate effects of elevation gradient on biodiversity in a temperate mountainous forest. For collection of trees' diversity data, 44 sample plots 20 × 20 m2 were set up every 50 m of the elevation interval at the altitude ranging from 100 m to 2250 m a.s.l. Also for collection of data on herbaceous vegetation, five microplots (1 × 2 m) were established (one microplot in the center and four microplots in the four corners of the plot). Species diversity values were analyzed using Simpson and modified Shannon Wiener indices. Also, species richness was calculated using Margalef and Smith-Wilson indices for each plot. The results from Simpson and modified Shannon Wiener biodiversity indices imply approximately bell-shaped diversity curves with the greatest species richness at medium elevations (800–1300 m a.s.l). However, if ecotones (gradual changes between two communities) are excluded, one can conclude that species biodiversity decreases with increasing elevation. The lowland community has the least richness that can be the result of the anthropogenic pressure. The evenness indices for the forest sites along the elevation gradient detected no trend with increasing elevation.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

ecotone; forest community; species richness; species diversity; temperate forest; montane forest

• Wydawca: Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Czasopismo: Polish Journal of Ecology
• Rocznik: 2022
• Tom: Vol. 70, nr 2-3
• Strony: 69--78
• Opis fizyczny: Bibliogr. 32 poz., map., tab., wykr.

Twórcy

autor

Ataei Eshagh

• Faculty of Agricultural Science, Islamic Azad University of Chaluos, Mazandaran, Iran

autor

Kazemnezhad Farid

• Faculty of Agricultural Science, Islamic Azad University of Chaluos, Mazandaran, Iran

autor

Eshaghnimvari Majid

• Faculty of Agricultural Science, Islamic Azad University of Chaluos, Mazandaran, Iran

autor

Sheykholeslami Ali

• Faculty of Agricultural Science, Islamic Azad University of Chaluos, Mazandaran, Iran

Bibliografia

• 1. Acharya K.P., Vetaas O.R., Birks H.J.B. 2011 - Orchid species richness along Himalayan elevational gradients - Journal of Biogeography, 38: 1821-1833.
• 2. Behera M.D., Kushwaha S.P.S. 2007 - An analysis of altitudinal behavior of tree species in Subansiri district, Eastern Himalaya - Biodiversity of Conservation, 16: 1851-1865.
• 3. Bhattarai K.R., Vetaas O.R. 2003 - Variation in plant species richnessof different life forms along a subtropical elevation gradient in the Himalayas, east Nepal - Global Ecology and Biogeography, 12: 327-340.
• 4. Daryati D., Widiasanti I., Septiandini E., Ramadhan M.A., Sambowo K.A., Purnomo A. 2019 - Soil characteristics analysis based on the unified soil classification system - Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1402 (2): 022028.
• 5. Doležal J., Šrŭtek M. 2002 - Altitudinal changes in composition and structure of mountain-temperate vegetation: a case study from the Western Carpathians - Plant Ecology, 158: 201-221.
• 6. Fallahchay M.M., Mohadjer M.M. 2005 - Ecological role of altitude in diversity of tree species in Siahkalforests, north of Iran - Iranian Journal of Natural Resources, 58: 89-100.
• 7. Fisher M.A., Fuel P.Z. 2004 - Changes in forest vegetation and arbuscular mycorrhizae along a steep elevation gradient in Arizona - Forest Ecology and Management, 200: 293-311.
• 8. González A.S., López-Mata L. 2005 - Plant species richness and diversity along an altitudinal gradient in the Sierra Nevada, Mexico - Diversity and Distributions, 11: 567-575.
• 9. Grytnes J.A., Vetaas O.R. 2002 - Species richness and altitude: A comparison between null models and interpolated plant species richness along the Himalayan altitudinal gradient, Nepal - American Naturalist, 159: 294-304.
• 10. Hawkins B.A., Field R., Cornell H.V., Currie D.J., Guégan J.F., Kaufman D.M., Kerr J.T., Mittelbach G.G., Oberdorff T., O'Brien E.M., Porter E.E., Turner J.R.G. 2003 - Energy, water and broadscale geographic patterns of species richness - Ecology, 84: 3105-3117.
• 11. Hegazy A.K., EL-Demedesh M.A., Hosni H.A. 1998 - Vegetation, species diversity and floristic relations along an altitudinal gradient in south-west Saudi Arabia - Journal of Arid Environments, 38: 3-13.
• 12. Homeier J., Breckle S.W., Günter S., Rollenbeck R.T., Leuschner C. 2010 - Tree diversity, forest structure and productivity along altitudinal and topographical gradients in a species-rich Ecuadorian montane rain forest - Biotropica, 42: 140-148.
• 13. Lee C.B., Chun J.H., Song H.K., Cho H.J. 2013 - Altitudinal patterns of plant species richness on the Baekdudaegan Mountains, South Korea: mid-domain effect, area, climate, and Rapoport's rule - Ecological Research, 28: 67-79.
• 14. Lomolino M.V. 2001 - Elevation gradients of species-density historical and prospective view - Global Ecology and Biogeography, 10: 3-13.
• 15. Ma K.P., Liu Y.M. 1994 - Measurement of biotic community diversity I a diversity (Part 2) - Chines Biodiversity, 2: 231-239. (in Chinese).
• 16. Margalef R. 1958 - Information theory in ecology - General Systems, 3: 36-71.
• 17. Mirzaei J. 1997 - Investigation of the effect of forest canopy on wooded pasture in western oak forests (Kermanshah) - Pajouhesh Va Sazandegi, 35: 49-55. (In Persian, English summary).
• 18. Mirzaei J., Akbarinia M., Hosseini S.M., Sohrabi H., Hosseinzade J. 2008 - Biodiversity of herbaceous species in related to physiographic factors in forest ecosystems in central Zagros - Iranian Journal of Biology, 20: 375-382 (In Persian, English summary).
• 19. Nasiri M., Parsakhoo A. 2012 - Shelterwood cutting system for forest management - Journal of Applied Biological Sciences 6 (3): 57-60.
• 20. Pourbabaei H., Haghgooy T. 2013 - Effect of physiographical factors on tree species diversity (case study: Kandelat Forest Park) - Iranian Journal of Forest and Poplar Research, 21: 243-255. (In Persian, English summary).
• 21. Pourbabaei H., Rostami T. 2006 - Floristic composition and plant species diversity in altitudinal classes of the managed forests, Asalem Region, Talesh, North of Iran - Ecology, Environment and Conservation, 12: 589-598.
• 22. Rahbek C. 1995 - The elevational gradient of species richness: a uniform pattern? - Ecography, 18: 200-205.
• 23. Rahbek C. 2005 - The role of spatial scale and the perception of large-scale species richness patterns - Ecology Letters, 8: 224-239.
• 24. Ravanbakhsh H., Asadi M. 2017 - Biodiversity of forest and steppe associations in Juniper (Juniperus excelsa) habitat of southern Alborz (Firuzkooh, Iran) - Journal of Plant Research, 30: 591-606. (In Persian, English summary).
• 25. Salas-Morales S.H., Meave J.A. 2012 - Elevational patterns in the vascular flora of a highly diverse region in southern Mexico - Plant Ecology, 213: 1209-1220.
• 26. Sang W. 2009 - Plant diversity patterns and their relationships with soil and climatic factors along an altitudinal gradient in the middle Tianshan Mountain area, Xinjiang, China - Ecological Research, 24: 303-314.
• 27. Simpson E.H. 1949 - Measurement of diversity - Nature, 163: 688-688.
• 28. Small C.J., McCarthy B.C. 2005 - Relationship of understory diversity to soil nitrogen, topographic variation, and stand age in an eastern oak forest, USA - Forest Ecology and Management, 217: 229-243.
• 29. Unger M., Homeier J., Leuschner C. 2013 - Relationships among leaf area index, below-canopy light availability and tree diversityalong a transect from tropical lowland to montane forests in NE Ecuador - Tropical Ecology, 54: 33-45.
• 30. Wang C.T., Long R.J., Wang Q.J., Ding L.M., Wang M.P. 2007 - Effects of altitude on plant-species diversity and productivity in an alpine meadow, Qinghai - Tibetan Plateau - Australian Journal of Botany, 55: 110-117.
• 31. Wang G., Zhou G., Yang L., Li Z. 2002 - Distribution, species diversity and life-form spectra of plant communities along an altitudinal gradient in the northern slopes of Qilianshan Mountains, Gansu, China - Plant Ecology, 165: 169-181.
• 32. Zhu H., Yong C., Zhou S., Wang H., Yan L. 2015 - Vegetation, floristic composition and species diversity in a tropical mountain nature reserve in southern Yunnan, SW China, with implications for conservation - Tropical Conservation Science, 8: 528-546.

Uwagi

Opracowanie rekordu ze środków MEiN, umowa nr SONP/SP/546092/2022 w ramach programu "Społeczna odpowiedzialność nauki" - moduł: Popularyzacja nauki i promocja sportu (2022-2023).