Preventive treatments for the invasion of Leucanthemum vulgare Lam.:exploring effects in rangeland ecosystems of Iran

Invasive species are increasingly spreading,particularly in rangeland ecosystems.It is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of different methods for controlling invasive plants in these ecosystems.This study aimed to investigate the effects of three strategies-21-year grazing exclusion(21-YES),mowing-grazing in rotation in alternate years(MGRS),and moderate grazing(MGS)-on the change in cover,density,and biomass of Leucanthemum vulgare Lam.(Ox-eye Daisy=OED)and the plant community.To accomplish this,three sites selected for each treatment.In 2021,270 vegetation plots were sampled using a random systematic method.Subsequently,we recorded the density and canopy cover of all growth forms(forbs,grasses,and ferns),the OED biomass,and the ground cover.The results indicated that MGS reduced OED density,OED canopy,and OED biomass.Furthermore,this strategy demonstrated the highest density and canopy cover of the plant community(including total,forbs,grasses,and ferns).Additionally,the strongest correlation was observed between the total canopy and the OED density(R2=-0.91,-0.95,-0.94 in 21-YES,MGRS,and MGS,respectively),as well as between the total canopy and the OED canopy(R2=-0.51,-0.98,-0.97 in 21-YES,MGRS,and MGS,respectively).The MGS led to an increase in diversity indices.In general,the grazing strategy has proven to be effective in controlling the spread of invasive OED and has also resulted in an increase in canopy cover,density,and diversity indices of the plant community.The study highlights the importance of ongoing management efforts to control invasive species,with moderate grazing potentially serving as a more practical,culturally accepted,and costeffective short-term control strategy for widespread rangeland weed infestations.

Modeling habitat suitability of range plant species using random forest method in arid mountainous rangelands

Mountainous rangelands play a pivotal role in providing forage resources for livestock, particularly in summer, and maintaining ecological balance. This study aimed to identify environmental variables affecting range plant species distribution, ecological analysis of the relationship between these variables and the distribution of plants, and to model and map the plant habitats suitability by the Random Forest Method(RFM) in rangelands of the Taftan Mountain, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, southeastern Iran. In order to determine the environmental variables and estimate the potential distribution of plant species, the presence points of plants were recorded by using systematic random sampling method(90 points of presence) and soils were sampled in 5 habitats by random method in 0–30 and 30–60 cm depths. The layers of environmental variables were prepared using the Kriging interpolation method and Geographic Information System facilities. The distribution of the plant habitats was finally modelled and mapped by the RFM. Continuous maps of the habitat suitability were converted to binary maps using Youden Index(?) in order to evaluate the accuracy of the RFM in estimation of the distribution of species potentialhabitat. Based on the values of the area under curve(AUC) statistics, accuracy of predictive models of all habitats was in good level. Investigating the agreement between the predicted map, generated by each model, and actual maps, generated from fieldmeasured data, of the plant habitats, was at a high level for all habitats, except for Amygdalus scoparia habitat. This study concluded that the RFM is a robust model to analyze the relationships between the distribution of plant species and environmental variables as well as to prepare potential distribution maps of plant habitats that are of higher priority for conservation on the local scale in arid mountainous rangelands.

Canopy cover or remotely sensed vegetation index,explanatory variables of above-ground biomass in an arid rangeland,Iran

Estimation of above-ground biomass is vital for understanding ecological processes. Since direct measurement of above-ground biomass is destructive, time consuming and labor intensive, canopy cover can be considered as a predictor if a significant correlation between the two variables exists. In this study, relationship between canopy cover and above-ground biomass was investigated by a general linear regression model. To do so, canopy cover and above-ground biomass were measured at 5 sub-life forms（defined as life forms grouped in the same height classes） using 380 quadrats, which is systematic-randomly laid out along a 10-km transect, during four sampling periods（May, June, August, and September） in an arid rangeland of Marjan, Iran. To reveal whether obtained canopy cover and above-ground biomass of different sampling periods can be lumped together or not, we applied a general linear model（GLM）. In this model, above-ground biomass was considered as a dependent or response variable, canopy cover as an independent covariate or predictor factor and sub-life forms as well as sampling periods as fixed factors. Moreover, we compared the estimated above-ground biomass derived from remotely sensed images of Landsat-8 using NDVI（normalized difference vegetation index）, after finding the best regression line between predictor（measured canopy cover in the field） and response variable（above-ground biomass） to test the robustness of the induced model. Results show that above-ground biomass（response variable） of all vegetative forms and periods can be accurately predicted by canopy cover（predictor）, although sub-life forms and sampling periods significantly affect the results. The best regression fit was found for short forbs in September and shrubs in May, June and August with R^2 values of 0.96, 0.93 and 0.91, respectively, whilst the least significant was found for short grasses in June, tall grasses in August and tall forbs in June with R^2 values of 0.71, 0.73 and 0.75, respectively. Even though the estimated above-ground biomass by NDVI is also convincing（R^2=0.57）, the canopy cover is a more reliable predictor of above-ground biomass due to the higher R^2 values（from 0.75 to 0.96）. We conclude that canopy cover can be regarded as a reliable predictor of above-ground biomass if sub-life forms and sampling periods（during growing season） are taken into account. Since,（1） plant canopy cover is not distinguishable by remotely sensed images at the sub-life form level, especially in sparse vegetation of arid and semi-arid regions, and（2） remotely sensed-based prediction of above-ground biomass shows a less significant relationship（R^2=0.57） than that of canopy cover（R^2 ranging from 0.75 to 0.96）, which suggests estimating of plant biomass by canopy cover instead of cut and weighting method is highly recommended. Furthermore, this fast, nondestructive and robust method that does not endanger rare species, gives a trustworthy prediction of above-ground biomass in arid rangelands.

Composition and structure of species along altitude gradient in Moghan-Sabalan rangelands,Iran

This study provides a checklist of species distributed at the altitude gradient of MoghanSabalan rangelands in Ardabili province, Northwest Iran. We evaluated the changes in species composition, growth types of species, Raunkiaer's life forms, geographical distribution, threat and endemicity status, and palatability of species along two altitudinal gradients in the sampling plots, which were conducted in eleven sites/habitats with 300 meters above sea level(masl) altitude intervals(from 100 to 3300 masl). We assessed the plant species composition with special reference to the gradient analysis, and identified overall 396 species, which was comprising 44 families and 194 genera. Results showed that Asteraceae family is by far the most species-rich family, followed by Poaceae, Fabaceae, Caryophyllaceae and Brassicaceae. Among the genera, Astragalus is the most diverse genus, followed by Allium, Veronica and Bromus, Galium, Silene and Ranunculus. Results indicated that the number of species increased as the altitude increased to 1200-1500 masl, but then starts to decline to 3300 masl. Family-to-genera ratio was 1:4.4, the family-tospecies ratio was 1:9, and the genera-to-species ratio was 1:2.04. Growth type of species analysis shows that the frequency of perennial plants was higher in the study area followed by annual species while the lower group was biennial species. The number of annuals showed a decreasing trend towards higher altitude. Hemicryptophytes and therophytes were the most frequent life forms constituted each with(41.9%). Hemicryptophytes showed an increasing trend with altitude, while therophytes showed a decreasing trend with altitude increase, followed by geophytes, chamaephytes, and phanerophytes. Results showed more than half of the species of the study area belonged to Iran-Turanian region and these species showed an increasing trend with altitude. In contrast, Sahara-Sindian species comprise a minor component of the spectrum, with decreasing trend with altitude. The rare and endangered species out of the surveyed taxonomic groups comprised 53 species in total which 29 of them are considered lower risk(LR), 13 data deficient(DD), 5 vulnerable(Vu) and with 3 rare(R) and identified endemic plants comprised 24 species. Some 56.6% species were identified as class III, 22.6% were class I and 20.8% were class II as the palatability variation. Moghan-Sabalan rangelands require strong conservation management policies in case of species loss and changing natural communities due to the occurrence of conversion into cropland, over-grazing and other anthropogenic effects.

SWPT:An automated GIS-based tool for prioritization of sub-watersheds based on morphometric and topo-hydrological factors

The sub-watershed prioritization is the ranking of different areas of a river basin according to their need to proper planning and management of soil and water resources.Decision makers should optimally allocate the investments to critical sub-watersheds in an economically effective and technically efficient manner.Hence,this study aimed at developing a user-friendly geographic information system(GIS)tool,Sub-Watershed Prioritization Tool(SWPT),using the Python programming language to decrease any possible uncertainty.It used geospatial-statistical techniques for analyzing morphometric and topohydrological factors and automatically identifying critical and priority sub-watersheds.In order to assess the capability and reliability of the SWPT tool,it was successfully applied in a watershed in the Golestan Province,Northern Iran.Historical records of flood and landslide events indicated that the SWPT correctly recognized critical sub-watersheds.It provided a cost-effective approach for prioritization of sub-watersheds.Therefore,the SWPT is practically applicable and replicable to other regions where gauge data is not available for each sub-watershed.

Changes in climatic conditions drive variations in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity and composition in semi-arid oak forests

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF)play a vital role in plant productivity and ecosystem functions.However,their responses to abiotic factors(i.e.,climate,physiography,and soil properties)are unknown,especially across climatic gradients and slope aspects in arid and semi-arid ecosys-tems.In this study,using 60 composite soil samples,direct and indirect effects of climate factors and slope aspects on AMF diversity,composition and spore density were studied.The findings indicate that climate has a more direct influ-ence on soil properties(P<0.001)in comparison to slope aspect(P=0.449).In contrast,climate significantly affected AMF diversity and composition,with the highest diversity in dryer areas.Soil pH had the highest correlation with different facets of AMF diversity.Structural equation modeling(SEM)indicated that only a small part of the variation in AMF diversity and spore density could be explained by climate characteristics,slope aspect and soil properties.Based on SEM results,climate was the most important determinant of AMF diversity and spore density;slope aspect had a less critical role.The outputs suggest that variations in AMF diversity are derived by the direct effects of climate and the indirect effect of soil chemical properties.In addition,with increasing dryness,sporulation and AMF diversity increased.

Vegetation composition differentiation and species-environment relationships in the northern part of Isfahan Province, Iran

A considerable proportion of Iran＇s territory is covered with arid and semi-arid rangelands and mismanagement and overexploitation of those rangelands have resulted in serious ecological degradation. Thus, the need is pressing to examine the present species composition and the relationships with environmental factors for providing the needed scientific references to species conservation and ecological rehabilitation efforts. The aims of this study were to examine the species composition and to delineate the most important factors influencing the distributions of plant species and groups in the northern rangelands of Isfahan Province （Iran） using two-way indicator species analysis （TWINSPAN）, detrended correspondence analysis （DCA）, principal component analysis （PCA）, and canonical correspondence analysis （CCA）. Field investigations were conducted in the growing season of 2014 using stratified random method in 22 homogeneous sampling units. In total, 75 plant species belonging to 52 genera and 19 families were identified. The most important families were Asteraceae and Papilionaceae, the most important genera were Astragalus, Cousinia, and Acanthophyllum, and the most important species were Artemisia aucheri and Artemisia sieberi. Plant species were classified into 10 groups using TWINSPAN. DCA was used to estimate the magnitude of changes in species composition along the first two ordination axes to provide gradient length estimations for PCA and CCA ordinations. The first three PCA axes and the first three CCA axes demonstrated similar cumulative percentage of variance, indicating that the environmental factors （selected by PCA） used in CCA ordination were acceptable for explaining the species composition and the distributions. CCA ordination showed that the first axis was closely related to elevation, slope, surface bare soil cover, surface litter cover, gravel proportion, organic matter, total nitrogen, CaCO3 content, and grazing intensity and that the second axis was closely related to sand proportion, silt proportion, clay proportion, and saturation percentage. Among these factors, elevation was the most effective factor to separate the plant groups and grazing was the major cause of rangeland degradation.

Landslide susceptibility mapping using Genetic Algorithm for the Rule Set Production(GARP) model

Investigation on landslide phenomenon is necessary for understanding and delineating the landslide prone and safer places for different land use practices. On this basis, a new model known as genetic algorithm for the rule set production was applied in order to assess its efficacy to obtain a better result and a more precise landslide susceptibility map in Klijanerestagh area of Iran. This study considered twelve landslide conditioning factors(LCF) like altitude, slope, aspect, plan curvature, profile curvature, topographic wetness index(TWI), distance from rivers, faults, and roads, land use/cover, and lithology. For modeling purpose, the Genetic Algorithm for the Rule Set Production(GARP) algorithm was applied in order to produce the landslide susceptibility map. Finally, to evaluate the efficacy of the GARP model, receiver operating characteristics curve as well as the Kappa index were employed. Based on these indices, the GARP model predicted the probability of future landslide incidences with the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve(AUC-ROC) values of 0.932, and 0.907 for training and validating datasets, respectively. In addition, Kappa values for the training and validating datasets were computed as 0.775, and 0.716, respectively. Thus, it can be concluded that the GARP algorithm can be a new but effective method for generating landslide susceptibility maps(LSMs). Furthermore, higher contribution of the lithology, distance from roads, and distance from faults was observed, while lower contribution was attributed to soil, profile curvature, and TWI factors. The introduced methodology in this paper can be suggested for other areas with similar topographical and hydrogeological characteristics for land use planning and reducing the landslide damages.

Over-mature beech trees (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) and close-to-nature forestry in northern Iran

Oriental Beech is the most important commercial tree species in northern Iran. In recent years wood production companies interested in felling large beech trees for profit have challenged advocates of close-to-nature silviculture who favor conservation. Our study objective was to assess the economic value of over-mature beech trees by relating tree diameter （DBH） to amount of decay. Based on the location of onset of decay, we categorized three types of decay as stump, stem, and crown decay. Trees of greater diameter （age） typically showed greater decay in the stem. Percent of decayed volume, diameter of decayed tissue, and length of decay in tree stems varied between 0.5%-64.3%, 15 cm-75 cm, and 2.0-19.5 m, respectively. With increasing trunk diameter, the propor- tion of truck decay increased. Red heart and dark red heart constituted 25% and 14.3% of sampled trees, respectively. However, we found no correlation between intensity of stem decay and morphological charac- teristics of trees. Seedlings were not abundant around the bases of over-mature trees, suggesting that the trees did not contribute to regeneration of the stand. Beech trees of diameter 〉1 m do not provide valu- able round wood for industries and cause to raise wood production costs. We recommend that these trees 〉1 m DBH should be retained in forest stands because of their low commercial value but high ecological and conservational values such as maintaining biodiversity in forest ecosystems.

Groundwater quality modeling using self-organizing map(SOM) and geographic information system(GIS) on the Caspian southern coasts

Groundwater is the main source for water provision in the arid and semi-arid areas such as Iran.The groundwater quality was simulated by using a hybrid model integrating a Self-Organizing Map(SOM)and geographic information system(GIS).SOM and GIS were used as pre-processing and postprocessing tools in the Mazandaran Plain.Further,the Ground Water Quality Index(GWQI)and its effective factors were estimated by using digital maps and the secondary data.Neuro Solutions software was used for simulating the groundwater quality.To do this,a model was trained and optimized in the SOM and then the optimized model was tested.In the next step,the performance of SOM in groundwater quality simulation was confirmed(test stage,Rsqr=0.8,and MSE=0.008).Then,the digital maps of the SOM inputs were converted to raster format in GIS.In the last step,a raster layer was generated by combining the model input layers which comprised the model inputs values.The tested SOM was used to simulate GWQI in the sites without the secondary data of the groundwater quality.Finally,the groundwater quality map was generated by coupling the results of SOM estimations and GIS capabilities.The results revealed that the coupling of SOM and GIS has high performance in the simulation of the groundwater quality.According to the results,a limited area of the studied plain has groundwater resources with low quality(GWQI>0.04).Therefore,that will be a threat to the life of humans,animals,and vegetative species.Therefore,it is necessary to plan for managing the groundwater quality in the Mazandaran plain.

Influence of non-stationarity and auto-correlation of climatic records on spatio-temporal trend and seasonality analysis in a region with prevailing arid and semi-arid climate,Iran

Trend and stationarity analysis of climatic variables are essential for understanding climate variability and provide useful information about the vulnerability and future changes,especially in arid and semi-arid regions.In this study,various climatic zones of Iran were investigated to assess the relationship between the trend and the stationarity of the climatic variables.The Mann-Kendall test was considered to identify the trend,while the trend free pre-whitening approach was applied for eliminating serial correlation from the time-series.Meanwhile,time series stationarity was tested by Dickey-Fuller and Kwiatkowski-Phillips-Schmidt-Shin tests.The results indicated an increasing trend for mean air temperature series at most of the stations over various climatic zones,however,after eliminating the serial correlation factor,this increasing trend changes to an insignificant decreasing trend at a 95%confidence level.The seasonal mean air temperature trend suggested a significant increase in the majority of the stations.The mean air temperature increased more in northwest towards central parts of Iran that mostly located in arid and semiarid climatic zones.Precipitation trend reveals an insignificant downward trend in most of the series over various climatic zones;furthermore,most of the stations follow a decreasing trend for seasonal precipitation.Furthermore,spatial patterns of trend and seasonality of precipitation and mean air temperature showed that the northwest parts of Iran and margin areas of the Caspian Sea are more vulnerable to the changing climate with respect to the precipitation shortfalls and warming.Stationarity analysis indicated that the stationarity of climatic series influences on their trend;so that,the series which have significant trends are not static.The findings of this investigation can help planners and policy-makers in various fields related to climatic issues,implementing better management and planning strategies to adapt to climate change and variability over Iran.

Rhizobacteria facilitate physiological and biochemical drought tolerance of Halimodendron halodendron (Pall.) Voss

Growth-promoting bacteria(GPB)have shown promising effects on serving plants against environmental constraints such as drought.Nevertheless,simultaneous effects of different GPB have less been considered for arid land plants and under field conditions.We investigated the effects of single and combined application of GPB,including free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria(NFB),phosphate solubilizing bacteria(PSB),potassium solubilizing bacteria(KSB),a combination of NFB,PSB,and KSB(NPK),and control,at three drought stress treatments.In order to better understand the interactions between drought and GPB,we measured the morphological,biochemical,and physiological plant traits.The target plant was salt tree(Halimodendron Halodendron(Pall.)Voss),a legume shrub native to arid lands of Central and West Asia.All biofertilizer treatments enhanced the growth,physiology,and biochemistry of salt tree seedlings,and there were significant differences among the treatments.KSB and PSB treatments increased photosynthetic pigments,but KSB treatment was more efficient in transpiration rate and stomatal regulation and increased the soluble carbohydrates.PSB treatment had the highest effect on root traits,such as taproot length,root volume,cumulative root length,and the ratio of root to shoot.NFB treatment enhanced root diameter and induced biomass translocation between root systems.However,only the application of mixed biofertilizer(i.e.,NPK treatment)was the most significant treatment to improve all plant morphological and physiological characteristics of salt tree under drought stress.Therefore,our results provided improvement of some specific plant traits simultaneous with application of three biofertilizers to increase growth and establishment of salt tree seedlings in the degraded arid lands.

Prioritizing woody species for the rehabilitation of arid lands in western Iran based on soil properties and carbon sequestration

Plants are an important component in many natural ecosystems. They influence soil properties, especially in arid ecosystems. The selection of plant species based on their adaptations to site conditions is essential for rehabilitation of degraded sites and other construction sites such as check-dams. Other factors to be considered in species selection include their effects on soil properties and their abilities to meet other management objectives. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of native(Populus euphratica Oliv. and Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb.) and introduced(Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. and Prosopis juliflora(Swartz) DC.) woody species on soil properties and carbon sequestration(CS) in an arid region of Iran. Soil sampling was collected at three soil depths(0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm) at the sites located under each woody species canopy and in an open area in 2017. Soil physical-chemical property was analyzed in the laboratory. The presence of a woody species changed soil characteristics and soil CS, compared with the open area. For example, the presence of a woody species caused a decrease in soil bulk density, of which the lowest value was observed under E. camaldulensis(1.38 g/cm^3) compared with the open area(1.59 g/cm^3). Also, all woody species significantly increased the contents of soil organic matter and total nitrogen, and introduced species had more significant effect than native species. The results showed that CS significantly increased under the canopy of all woody species in a decreasing order of P. euphratica(9.08 t/hm^2)>E. camaldulensis(8.37 t/hm^2)>P. juliflora(5.20 t/hm^2)>T. ramosissima(2.93 t/hm^2)>open area(1.33 t/hm^2), thus demonstrating the positive effect of a woody species on CS. Although the plantation of non-native species had some positive effects on soil properties, we recommend increasing species diversity in plantations of native and introduced woody species to provide more diversity for the increased ecosystem services, resilience, health and long-term productivity.

Indigenous Knowledge and Techniques of Runoff Harvesting (Bandsar and Khooshab) in Arid and Semi Arid Regions of Iran

Two-thirds of Iran’s landmass is considered a desert-land devoid of forests and green pastures. Such a harsh environmental condition ancient Iranian innovated amazing techniques and knowledge for supplying water, which are recently called indigenous knowledge. Rain water and runoff harvesting techniques are often applied to increase the water recharge and consequently productivity in arid regions. The sizes of runoff harvesting structures are varying form micro to macro landscape. Qanat, Khooshab, Bandsar and Degar are the most famous indigenous techniques of water resources management in Iran. We tried to introduce two methods (Bandsar and Khooshab), their classification and structure as well as benefits. Bandsar is a kind of flood farming structure ground water recharge prevailed in Khorasan province of eastern Iran. Depending on rainfall, land topography and geomorphology of area, different types have been established to use floods and agricultural activities. Their area is about 0.5 to 5 ha in alluvial fans and piedmont plain. Its structure consists of plots, basin and levee along contour lines and dry rivers. The upland generated runoff is stored in the basin to infiltrate. Moreover, the fine trapped sediment in Bandsar as a fertile material cause to improve sandy soils. Khooshab is another traditional method used in southeast of Iran (Sistan va Baluchistan). It is a wall structures built across or along the dry river to catch the summer Monson floods water and cultivation as well as combat to wind erosion. Their areas are about 1 - 10 ha and crops such as wheat, maize and barely are produced through them. Flood plains and piedmont are the best location for Khooshabs which caused aquifer recharging. This work tries to explain about environmental condition affect the outcomes of mentioned techniques and their side effects on decreasing soil erosion, flooding and desertification as well as productivity increasing in some parts of Iran. Our findings revealed that the efficiency of traditional knowledge is closely integrated with environment conditions and socio-economic situation of rural community such as participatory. However, they can act as a good alterative in conjunction of new technological methods.

Application assessment of GRACE and CHIRPS data in the Google Earth Engine to investigate their relation with groundwater resource changes (Northwestern region of Iran)

In recent years,drought has become a global issue,especially in arid and semi-arid areas.It is without doubt that the identification and monitoring of the drought phenomenon can help to reduce the damages that would occur.In addition,rain is one of the factors which directly affect the water levels of underground water reservoirs.This research applied a linear gradient regression method developed on the basis of GRACE,CHIRPS,and data from monitoring wells to investigate the groundwater storage changes.These data have been analyzed on the Google Earth Engine platform.In order to conduct temporal and spatial analyses,the water levels of the aquifer were generated from the monitoring wells and zoned into five classes.Also,the amount of water storage and rain from the year 2003 to 2017 in the West Azerbaijan Province were investigated using the GRACE satellite and the CHIRPS data,respectively.The results obtained from the GRACE satellite data show that the average water level in the underground reservoirs in Iran had started to decrease since 2008 and reached its peak in 2016 with an average decrease of 16 cm in that year.The average annual decline of groundwater level in the studied time period was 5 cm.A chart developed from the CHIRPS annual rainfall data indicates that the biggest decline in rainfall occurred in 2008,and the declining trend has remained steady.Linear analyses were made on GRACE with CHIRPS results and monitoring wells data separately,from which the correlation coefficients are between 86% and 97%,showing generally high correlations.Furthermore,the results obtained from the zoning of the aquifer showed that in the period of 2004 to 2016,due to the decrease in rainfall and the excessive withdrawal of groundwater,the water levels also decreased.

The PtobZIP55–PtoMYB170 module regulates the wood anatomical and chemical properties of Populus tomentosa in acclimation to low nitrogen availability

Poplar plantations are often established on nitrogen-poor land,and poplar growth and wood formation are constrained by low nitrogen(LN)availability.However,the molecular mechanisms by which specific genes regulate wood formation in acclimation to LN availability remain unclear.Here,we report a previously unrecognized module,basic region/leucine zipper 55(PtobZIP55)–PtoMYB170,which regulates the wood formation of Populus tomentosa in acclimation to LN availability.PtobZIP55 was highly expressed in poplar wood and induced by LN.Altered wood anatomical properties and increased lignification were detected in PtobZIP55-overexpressing poplars,whereas the opposite results were detected in PtobZIP55-knockout poplars.Molecular and transgenic analyses revealed that PtobZIP55 directly binds to the promoter sequence of PtoMYB170to activate its transcription.The phenotypes of PtoMYB170 transgenic poplars were similar to those of PtobZIP55 transgenic poplars under LN conditions.Further molecular analyses revealed that PtoMYB170 directly bound the promoter sequences of lignin biosynthetic genes to activate their transcription to increase lignin concentrations in LN-treated poplar wood.These results suggest that PtobZIP55 activates PtoMYB170 transcription,which in turn positively regulates lignin biosynthetic genes,increasing lignin deposition in the wood of P.tomentosa in the context of acclimation to LN availability.

Generalized and species-specific prediction models for aboveground biomass in semi-steppe rangelands

Aims The accurate estimation of aboveground biomass in vegetation is critical for global carbon accounting.Regression models provide an easy estimation of aboveground biomass at large spatial and temporal scales.Yet,only few prediction models are available for aboveground biomass in rangelands,as compared with forests.In addition to the development of prediction models,we tested whether such prediction models vary with plant growth forms and life spans,and with the inclusion of site and/or quadrat-specific factors.Methods We collected dataset of aboveground biomass from destructive harvesting of 8088 individual plants belonging to 79 species in 735 quadrats across 35 sites in semi-steppe rangelands in Iran.A logarithmic transformation of the power-law model was used to develop simple prediction models for the easy estimation of above-ground biomass using plant coverage and vegetation density as predictors for the species-specific model,multispecies and plants of different growth forms and life spans.In addition,additive and multiplicative linear regression models were developed by using plant coverage and one categorical variable from the site and/or quadrat-specific factors.Important Findings The log-transformed power-law model based on plant coverage pre-cisely predicted aboveground biomass across the whole dataset for ei-ther most of the species-specific model,multispecies or plants of the same growth forms(shrubs,forbs or graminoids)and life spans(annuals,biennials or perennials).The addition of vegetation density as a single or in a compound predictor variable had relatively poor performance com-pared with the model having plant coverage only.Although generalizing at the levels of plant group forms and/or life spans did not substantially enhance the model-fit and validation of the plant coverage-based mul-tispecies model,the inclusion of plant growth forms or life spans as a categorical predictor variable had performed well.Generalized models in this study will greatly contribute to the accurate and easy predic-tion of aboveground biomass in the studied rangelands and will be also useful to rangeland practitioners and ecological modellers interested in the global relationship between biodiversity and aboveground biomass productivity across space and time in natural rangelands.

Improved drought tolerance in Festuca ovina L.using plant growth promoting bacteria

Numerous ecological factors influence a plant’s ability to live and grow,in which dryness is a substantial constraint on plant growth in arid and semi-arid areas.In response to a specific environmental stress,plants can use the most effective bacteria to support and facilitate their growth and development.Today,plant growth promoting rhizobacteria(PGPR)is widely used to reduce drought stress on plant growth.In this study,the effects of drought on Festuca ovina L.germination,growth,and nutrient absorption were investigated using PGPR in a factorial test with a completely random design under four water regimes.Soil water content was kept at 100%FC(field capacity),70%FC(FC),50%FC,and 30%FC.The treatments were inoculated with Azotobacter vinelandii,Pantoea agglomerans+Pseudomonas putida,and a mixture of bio-fertilizers.Results showed that the effects of drought stress were significantly reduced(P<0.05)when A.vinelandii and P.agglomerans+P.putida were used separately,however,the combined treatment of bio-fertilizers had a greater influence on seed germination than the single application.P.agglomerans+P.putida under 30%FC condition resulted in higher increases in stem,root length,and plant dry biomass.The highest uptake of nutrients was observed for the combined treatment of bio-fertilizers under 30%FC condition.Therefore,the use of A.vinelandii and P.agglomerans+P.putida,applied separately or combined,increased tolerance to drought stress in F.ovina by increased germination indices,dry weight,stem length,and root length.Because of the beneficial effects of PGPR on the growth characteristics of plants under drought conditions and the reduction of negative effects of drought stress,inoculating F.ovina seeds with Azotobacter and Pseudomonas is recommended to improve their growth and development characteristics under drought conditions.PGPR,as an affordable and environmentally friendly method,can improve the production of forage in water-stress rangelands.

Effects of drought and slope aspect on canopy facilitation in a mountainous rangeland

Aims Species composition and diversity of the mountainous rangelands are results of interactions between environmental severities,het-erogeneous topography and facilitative effects by nurse plants.This research was aimed to compare relative effects of these three envi-ronmental variables on the natural vegetation of a mountainous rangeland.For a more detailed understanding,effects of four dif-ferent nurse species were separately compared on the various plant growth forms and on two community plant responses(diversity and abundance).Methods A mountainous semiarid rangeland was selected in Baharkish,Quchan,Northeast of Iran.Density and canopy cover of all plant species were recorded under the canopy of four different shrubs and in open areas,in north and south-facing aspects,and in a normal and a drought year.Shannon diversity,total abundance(%cover)and the abundance of different growth forms were used as crite-ria for assessing effects of the environmental variables.Data were arranged in a factorial combination and analyzed by three-way analysis of variance using a GLM analysis.Important Findings(i)Drought,aspect and canopy created niche differentiation:annual forbs and shrubs were more affected by drought,whereas geophytes and grasses were more responsive to slope aspects.Effects of drought and slope aspect were more profound on species diversity,whereas that of canopy facilitation was stronger on plant abundance.(ii)Canopy facili-tation was dependent on severity of the abiotic factors and life history of interacting species.Canopy facilitation allowed for the persistence of only annual forbs,but it was disadvantaged during the drought year.Plant community responses to abiotic factors(slope and drought)were more dependent on the plant growth form,while responses to canopy facilitation were more dependent on the morphology and/or ecology of nurse shrubs.(iii)Effect of shrubs was dependent on their morphology and ecology:shrubs with larger canopy area and nitrogen fixation capa-bility increased,but those with allelopathic effects or a dense canopy structure decreased the diversity of the understory species.

Differential expression of zinc accumulation during two growing seasons of Acacia victoriae

It is important to understand seasonal heavy metal accumulation in different parts of plants in order to develop the best phytoremediation practices for con- taminated soils. For this purpose we exposed, 1 year old A. victoriae seedlings to ZnSO4 in 4 different concentrations： 0, 50, 250 and 500 mg Zn L-1 for 45 days over two growing seasons. Subsequently, bioaccumulation of Zn in different plant tissues （roots, shoots and leafs） was assessed by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy （AAS） for two peri- ods. In addition, various growth attributes （dry biomass, shoot and root lengths, plant appearance） and functional traits （leaf area, chlorophyll a, b and total） were measured. The accumulation of Zn was influenced by the Zn con- centration in the growth medium and the number of growing seasons. The amounts of Zn concentrated in the root tissues might indicate A. victoriae as a good option for phytostabilization of soils contaminated by Zn. We rec- ommend that if A. victoriae is used for phytoextraction purposes, then it should be harvested at the end of the first growing season （fall） because at this time the concentra- tions of Zn in the above-ground parts will be maximal.