Soil Factors Affecting the Distribution of Plant Species at Different Intensities of Grazing at Kharab-e-Sanji Rangelands in Urmia

Document Type : Research

Authors

1 Associate Professor .PhD Student of Rangeland Science at the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

2 PhD Student of Rangeland Science at Gorgan University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Rangeland Department, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

4 Assistant Professor, Rangeland Department, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

Abstract

Evaluation of quantitative and qualitative changes in vegetation and soil during the grazing gradient is necessary in order to recognize the regressive changes in the vegetation and soil, and consequently to improve the range management practices. The present study was carried out with the purpose of identifying soil factors affecting the vegetation distribution with various grazing intensities in rangelands of Kharab-e-Sanji in Urmia. Systematic random sampling was conducted in late June to collect samples in three regions with low, medium, and high grazing intensities. In this regard, in each region six 100m transects and along each transect, ten 1 meters squared plots were placed. Moreover, the species present in each plot were identified and the vegetation cover percentage, density and frequency of each species were recorded. Furthermore, the samples were taken from 0-30cm depth of soil surface within each plot and the bulk density, relative humidity, EC, pH, organic matter, carbon, nitrogen, particulate organic matter and soil texture were measured. To determine the relationship between the soil factors and distribution of vegetation, the multivariate analysis (ordination) was used. Ordination of plant communities due to soil properties was performed using Canonical Correspondence Analyses (DCA، RDA، CCA). Ordination results showed that nitrogen factor in all the three grazing intensities was the most important factor influencing the distribution of species. Moreover, at the low grazing intensity level, relative humidity; with the moderate grazing intensity, bulk density and particulate nitrogen; and in the regions with the high grazing density, particulate nitrogen and particulate carbon were considered as the most important factor influencing the distribution of vegetation.

Keywords

References

  1. Antoine, G. & Niklaus, E.Z., 2000. Predictive habitat distribution models in ecology. Ecological Modeling 135:147-186.

    Arzani, H. 1997. Constitution of range inventory proposal of different climatological regions. Research Institute of Forests & Rangelands. Pp: 65.(in Persian)

    Azarnivand, H. & Zare chahouki, M.A., 2009. Range improvment. Tehran University Press, 354 p.

    Azarnivand, H., Jafari, M., Moghadam, M.R. & Jalili, M.A. 2003. Evaluation of the effect of soil properties and environmental factors on the distribution of two species of Artemisia ‌ (case study: rangeland Avard, Branch, Semnan). Journal of Natural Resources, 56(1&2):93-100.

    Bagheri, R., Mohseni saravi, M. & Chaeichi, M.R. 2009. Effect of grazing intensity on soil in semi-arid region (Case Study: National parks and meadows News around). Journal of Rangeland. 3: 398-412.

    Basiri M., Jalalian, A., Vahabi M.R., 1989. Report of the studies on the status & seed production of native pasture species in Fereidan. Collage of Agriculture. EsfahanUniversity of Technology.(in Persian)

    Bouyoucos, G.J., 1962. Hydrometer method improved for making particle size analysis of soils. Agronomy Journal 56: 464-465.

    Cambardella C.A. & Elliott. E.T., 1992: Particulate soil organic matter changes  across  a grassland cultivation sequence. American  Journal of  Soil Science 56:777-783.

    Carter, M.R., Angers D.A., Gregorich E.G. & Bolinder M.A. 2003.Characterizing Organic Matter Retention for Surface Soils in Eastern Canada Using Density and Particle Size Fraction. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 83:11-23.

    Chaeichi, M. & Mohseni Saravi, M. 2003. The effect of immunizations and grazing on specific physical attributes of soil and pasture. Journal of Natural Resources, 4: 507-409.

    Chang C.R., Lee, P. F., Bai,  M.L. & Lin, T.T., 2004. Predicting the geographical distribution of plant communities in complex terrain -a case study in Fushian Experimental Forest, northeastern Taiwan. Ecography 27: 577-588.

    Dormaar, J.F. & Willms, W.D., 2002. Sustainable production from the rough fescue prairie. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 45: 137e140.

    Drewry, J.J., Lowe J.A. & Paton, R.J., 2004. Effect of sheep stocking intensity on soil physical properties and dry matter production on a Southland. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 42: 493-499.

    Fajry, A. 2009. Feasibility studies - Executive vegetation survey
    the wreckage of Urmia. University Department of Natural Resources. 356p.

    Fahimipour, A., M.A. Zare Chahoki & A. Tavili, 2010. Study on the relationship between environmental factors and tyupical plant-species distribution. Journal of Rangeland, 4(1): 23-32.

    Fisher, R.A., Corbet, A.S. & Williams, C.B., 1943. The relation between the number of  species and the number of individuals in a random sample of an animal population. Animal Ecology 12: 42-58.

    Franzluebbers, A.J. & Sttuedemann, G.A. 2002. Particulate and non-particulate farticulate of Soil Organic Carbon under Patures in the Sounthern Piedmont USA. Environment. Pollut 116:53-62.

    Fu, J. B., Liu, S.L., Ma, K.M. & Zhu, Y.G., 2004. Relationships between soil characteristics, topography and plant diversity in a heterogeneous deciduous broad-leaved forest near Beijing, China. Journal of Plant and Soil 261: 47-45.

    Gahani, A., Dexter M. & Perrot K.W., 2003. Hot-Water Extractable Carbon in Soils: A Sensitive Seasurement of Determining Impacts of Fertilization Grazing and Cultivation. Soil Biology Biochemistry 35: 1231-1243.

    Glenn, M., Robert, E., Brian, H., David, R.F., Jonathan, H. & Dana, M., 2002. Vegetation variation across Cape Cod, Massachusetts: environmental and historical determinants. Journal of Biogeography 29: 1439-1454.

    Han, G.D, Xiying, H.Y., Mengli, Z.L., Mingjun, W.J., Ellert, B.H., Walter, W. & Wang, M.J., 2008. Effect of grazing intensity on carbon and nitrogen in soil and vegetation in a meadow steppe in Inner Mongolia. Agric Ecosyst Environ 125:21-32.

    Handayani, I.P., 2004. SoilQualityChangesFollowingForest Clearance in Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia, Biotropia 22: 1-15.

    Handayani, I.P., Coyne, M.S., Barton, C. & Workman, S., 2008. Soil carbon pools and aggregation follwing land restoration: Bernheim Forest, Kentucky. Journal of Enveron Monitor Restoration. 4: 11-28.

    Haynes, R.J., 2005. Labile organic matter  fraction as central components of the quality of agricultural soils: An overview . Adv.  In Agron 85: 221-268.

    He, M.Z., Zheng, J.G., Li, X.R. & Qian, Y.L., 2007. Environmental factors affecting vegetation composition in the Alxa Plateau, China. Journal of Arid Environments 69: 473-489.

    Kia, F., Tavlili, A. & Javadi, S.A., 2010. Multi-range species distribution in relation to some environmental factors of the four gardens of Golestan province. Journal of Rangeland. 5(3): 292-301

    Krzic, M. & Newman, R.F., 1999. Soil compaction of forest plantation in interior British Colombia. J range manage 52:, 644-671.

    Leps, J. & Smilauer, P., 2003. Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data Using CANOCO, Cambridge University Press, 269 pp.

    Liang, B.C., McKonkey, B.G., Schoenau, J., Curtin, D. & Campell, C.A., 2003. Effects of tillage and crop rotation on the light fraction of organic carbon and carbon mineralization in chermozemic soilsd of Saskatchewan. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 83:65-72.

    Mesdaghi, M. 2001. Vegetation description and analysis. Mashhad University Jihad Publications, 228 p (In Persian).

    Moghadam, M. 1999. Range and rangeland, Tehrn University press, 257 p (In Persian).

    Monier, M.A. & Wafaa, M.A., 2003. Soil–vegetation relationships in coastal desert plain of southern Sinai, Egypt. Journal of Arid Environments 55: 607-628.

    Parton W.J., Schmel., D.S., Cole, C.V. & Ojima, D.S., 1987. Analysis of factors  controlling soil organic matter levels in  Great  Plains grasslands. Am. Journal of Soil Science 51: 1173-1179.

    Porfathi, M., 2010. Determined soil factors affecting the distribution and morphology of Artemisia fragranas Poljakov Hlychal Haraz watershed area, Master's Thesis, School of Natural Resources, Tarbiat Modares University, 61p.

    Reeder, J.D. & Schuman, G.E., 2002. Influence of livestock grazing on C sequestration in semiarid mixedgrass and short-grass rangelands. Environmental Pollution 116, 457-463. Sparling, G.P., 1992. Ratio of microbial biomass carbon to soil organic carbon as a sensitive indicator of changes soil organic matter. Aust. J. Soil Res 30: 195-207.

    Sageghipour, A. 2012. The study of carbon sequestration and it’s distrbution in different land uses (Case study: Shahriar), PhD thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources, TehranUniversity, 120p.

    1. Zare Chahouki, M.A., 2001. Relationship between soil physical and chemical properties  and some rangeland species  of Poshtkuh rangelands of Yazd province, Rangemanagement M.S. Thesis, Natural Resources Faculty, Tehran University, 122p 

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 08 February 2014
  • Revise Date: 19 November 2014
  • Accept Date: 19 February 2015

Share

How to cite

Statistics