Mehdi Heydari

Influence of soil properties and burial depth on Persian oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.) establishment in different microhabitats resulting from traditional forest practices

In seasonally dry environments such as the Zagros woodlands (Iran), severe drought stress and lack of appropriate management practices can cause failure of oak afforestation or reforestation. We investigated the effect of soil properties and burial depth on Persian oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.) establishment in different microhabitats resulting from traditional forest practices. Four microhabitats that were based on forest structure were considered for oak acorn seeding: (1) inside old sprout clumps (ISPC); (2) under the canopy of tall trees (UCTT); (3) outside the canopy of tall trees and sprout clumps; and (4) near recent stumps or sprout clumps. Acorns were seeded at two depths (2 and 5xa0cm), and seedling survival and growth variables were recorded for 4xa0years, together with soil chemical and biological attributes. Stepwise discriminant analysis showed that a combination of total soil nitrogen, cation exchange capacity, available phosphorus and potassium, litter depth, microbial quotient, metabolic coefficient, substrate-induced respiration and earthworm abundance was the best variables to characterise the microhabitats. With the exception of pH, bulk density and soil texture, these variables were higher in UCTT and ISPC than in the other microhabitats. Seedling emergence and survival were greater at a seed depth of 5xa0cm than at 2xa0cm. Seedling height and shoot, root and leaf biomasses were higher in the UCTT microhabitat compared to the other microhabitats and correlated positively with soil nutrients contents and most of the soil biological variables but negatively with soil bulk density. This study emphasised the role of microhabitats in creating a “canopy effect” producing favourable physical, chemical and biological soil conditions. In particular, large oak trees form islands of fertility and therefore are of key importance for successful seedling establishment in forests subjected to intense human activities.

Effects of vegetation patterns and environmental factors on woody regeneration in semi-arid oak-dominated forests of western Iran

This study assesses the effects of vegetation patterns and environmental factors on the abundance of natural tree and shrub regeneration in semi-arid forests of the Zagros Mountains, western Iran. We sampled 120 releves at different topographic positions in a protected area of the studied region. Floristic composition, slope, elevation and soil properties were recorded at each releve, and woody seedling density was measured. We have first discerned five floristic groups using two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN), detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and then explored the relationships among the floristic group compositions, environmental factors and seedling densities. The indicator species of the five groups were Quercus brantii, Acer monspessulanum, Cerasus microcarpa, Rhamnus arvensis and Astragalus licyoides. Our results indicated that these groups were significantly affected by elevation and soil properties and the soil properties refer to: EC (electrical conductivity), N (nitrogen), K (potassium), OM (organic matter), and bulk density. Woody regeneration was composed of Q. brantii, A. monspessulanum, C. microcarpa, Amygdalus scoparia and Crataegus pontica seedlings. The highest density of seedlings was found for Q. brantii (97.14 (±48.00) plants/hm2) and the lowest for A. scoparia (2.28 (±1.50) plants/hm2). Quercus brantii was the dominant species and the seedling density was positively correlated with soil pH and P (phosphorus) values. Amygdalus scoparia regeneration was negatively correlated with elevation, and the seedling density peaked in C. microcarpa group. There was no significant variation in distribution of C. pontica seedlings among the groups, but the seedling density of this species was positively correlated with slope and K. Cerasus microcarpa seedlings were more abundant in the Q. brantii group than in other groups. This study showed that the regeneration of tree and shrub species was unequally distributed in different floristic groups for some species (A. scoparia and C. microcarpa) but not for other (Q. brantii and C. pontica) and was generally correlated with some environmental factors, particularly elevation, slope and soil nutrients (P and K). These results are a first step to implement future management and restoration strategies for promoting forest regeneration.

Earthworms as indicators for different forest management types and human disturbance in Ilam oak forest, Iran

Abstract There has been observed widespread destruction of natural ecosystems around the world due to population growth, land use change and clear cutting which have affected soil properties. Different management strategies have been so far implemented to reduce this crisis in various regions of the world, such as e.g. short-term and long-term conservation management in the Zagros region. However, any management approach should be evaluated with appropriate measures to determine how managed areas respond. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the potential of earthworms as an indicator for different forest management strategies and human disturbances in Zagros oak (Quercus persica Jaub. and Spach) forest. The sites selected included undisturbed one as the control (Un), the sites under five-year conservation management (FCM) and twenty-year conservation management (TCM) as well as the disturbed site (D). The results of principal component analysis (PCA) showed that different regions separated into the components: PC1 and PC2. Un and TCM sites gathered together and represented higher values of the factors such as pH, Kavailable, OC, clay content, Pavailable, CEC, overstory tree canopy, Ntot, biomass and abundance of earthworms. The positive direction of the first axis reflected a gradient of EC, BD and Ptot. According to the logistic model, NH4-N and EC played the most important role in earthworm presence and absence in Zagros forest ecosystem. Earthworm abundance and biomass could be a good indicator to evaluate different forest management strategies in the study area.