Effect of Operation Management on Quantitative and Qualitative Indices of Soil and Vegetation in Mazandaran Biosphere Reservoir
Subject Areas : forestry
Zahra Zamani
1
,
Reza Tamartash
2
*
1 - Ph. D Graduated of Rangeland Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran.
2 - Associate Professor of Rangeland Department, Faculty of Natural Resources, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran. *(Corresponding Auther)
Keywords: Diversity and Richness, Grazing management, Mazandaran, Miyankaleh.,
Abstract :
Background and Objective: The removal of livestock grazing from rangelands, or in other words, enclosure of rangelands, is considered a method for restoring degraded rangeland ecosystems and is also a vital measure for improving ecosystem structure and function, including elements such as soil carbon and nutrients. However, its effectiveness in summer rangelands is not well known. This study aimed to investigate the effects of enclosure on vegetation and soil characteristics in the Miankaleh Biosphere Reserve of Mazandaran.
Material and Methodology: For this purpose, two fenced and grazed areas were selected. Vegetation sampling was carried out in one-square-meter plots from a depth of 0-30 cm using a systematic- random method, considering the area and soil cover. Then, vegetation and soil characteristics including palatability class, life form, lifespan, vegetative form, Shannon-Weiner and Simpson diversity indices, Manhinic and Margalef species richness, species number and uniformity, as well as the percentage of clay, silt, sand, organic matter, moisture, electrical conductivity, apparent specific gravity, and soil acidity were determined. Independent t-test was used to compare the desired characteristics.
Findings: The results showed that enclosure caused changes in some characteristics of vegetation and soil in these rangelands. So that the percentage of clay, moisture, soil organic matter, Shannon-Weiner and Simpson diversity indices, Manhinic and Margalef species richness increased significantly (p≤0.05), but the average percentage of silt, sand, apparent specific gravity, acidity and uniformity index in the grazed area did not differ significantly from the enclosure area.
Discussion and Conclusion: In general, the results showed that enclosure has improved the quantitative and qualitative indicators of plants and soil in the studied area and, due to its positive effects on the sustainability of the rangeland ecosystem, requires the attention of rangeland managers and practical measures to control grazing intensity.
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