The spatial association between Halocnemum strobliaceum and Nebkas in North of Golestan Province, Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Dept. of Arid Zone  Management Faculty of Rangeland & Watershed Management Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources. Gorgan, IRAN

2 Phd Student, Arid Zone Management, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

3 M.Sc Student, Arid Zone Management, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

4 Department of Watershed and Arid Zone Management, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

Abstract

Investigating the distribution of Halocnemum strobliaceum (H. strobliaceum) has an important role in spatial patterns of Nebka. In order to compare the indices efficiency of H. strobliaceum. and Nebkas’ spatial patterns and their interactions, a semi-arid region with 27.3 ha was selected in Golestan Province, Iran. The analysis of the collected samples was performed using univariate and bivariate summary statistic methods. Then, the maps of 119 H. strobliaceumand 322 Nebkas locations were prepared using Leica TCR407 Total Station Reflectorless. In the next step, detailed field studies were carried out to investigate the patterns and interactions between H. strobliaceumand Nebkas spatial locations in the selected region. The univariate (L, g, and O-ring functions) and bivariate (L12, g12, and O12 functions) summary statistics were used to separately investigate spatial patterns of H. strobliaceum and Nebkas as well as their interaction. The results of the univariate summary statistics showed that the H. strobliaceumhad a dispersed distribution pattern up to scales of 17 m and this pattern was a significant departure from random labeling at scales of 0-7 m. In this regard, the pattern of Nebkas showed a higher tendency to dispersed pattern at scales 0-18 m and after that the random pattern at scales 18-50 m. The bivariate summary statistics showed that H. strobliaceum and Nebkas locations had a highly significant positive relationship, suggesting their facilitation effects. In general, it is concluded that the spatial pattern of H. strobliaceum is a strong predictor of the Nebkas point pattern.

Keywords

References

1. Besag, J.E. 1977. Comments on Ripley’s paper, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society B, vol 39-2: 193-195
2. Brown, G. and Porembski, S. 2000. Phytogenic hillocks and blow-outs as safe sites for Halocnemum Strobilaceum in an oil contaminated area of northern Kuwait. Environ. Conserv,vol 27: 242-249
3. Barbier, N., Couteron, P., Planchon, O. and Diouf, A., 2010. Multiscale comparison of spatial patterns using two-dimensional cross-spectral analysis: application to a semi-arid (gapped) landscape. Landscape ecology,vol 25-6: 889-902.
4. Benot, M.L., Bittebiere, A.K., Ernoult, A., Clement, B. and Mony, C., 2013. Fine- scale spatial patterns in grassland communities depend on species clonal dispersal ability and interactions with neighbours. Journal of Ecology. Vol 101: 626-636.
5. Brown, G. 2003. Factors maintaining plant diversity in degraded areas of northern Kuwait. J. Arid Environ. vol 54: 183-194.
6. Burns, S.L., Goya, J.F., Arturi, M.F., Yapura, P.F. and Perez, C.A., 2013. Stand dynamics, spatial pattern and site quality in Austrocedrus chilensis forests in Patagonia, Argentina. Forest Systems. vol 22: 170-178.
7. Cipriotti, P.A., Aguiar, M.R., Wiegand, T. and Paruelo, J.M., 2012. Understanding the long-term spatial dynamics of a semiarid grass-shrub steppe through inverse parameterization for simulation models. Oikos.vol 121: 848-861.
8. Carrer, M., Soraruf, L. and Lingua, E., 2013. Convergent space-time tree regeneration patterns along an elevation gradient at high altitude in the Alps. Forest Ecology and Management. vol 304: 1-9.
9. Cisz, M.E., Falkowski, M.J. and Orr, B., 2013. Small-scale spatial pattern of Copernicia alba morong near Bahia Negra, Paraguay. Natural Resources. vol 4: 369-377.
10. Churchill, D., Larson, A., Dahlgreen, M., Franklin, J., Hessburg, P. and Luts, J., 2013. Restoring forest resilience: from reference spatial patterns to silvicultural prescriptions and monitoring. Forest Ecology and Management. Vol: 291: 442-457.
11. Du, J., Yan, P., and Dong, Y., 2010. The progress and prospects of nebkhas in arid areas. Journal of Geographical Sciences.vol 20: 712–728.
12. El-Bana, M.I., Nijs, I. and Kockelbergh, F., 2002. Microenvironmental and vegetational heterogeneity induced by phytogenic nebkhas in an arid coastal ecosystem. Plant and Soil.vol 247-2: 283-293.
13. El-Wahab, R.H.A. and Al-Rashed, A.R., 2010. Vegetation and soil conditions of phytogenic mounds in Subiya area northeast of Kuwait. Catrina. vol 5-1: 87-95.
14. El-Sheikh, M.A., Abbadi, G.A., Bianco, P.M. 2010. Vegetation ecology of phytogenic hillocks (nabkhas) in coastal habitats of Jal Az-Zor National Park, Kuwait: Role of patches and edaphic factors. Flora. vol 205: 832-840.
15. El-WAHAB, R.H.A., Al-RASHED, A.R. and Al-HAMAD, Y., 2014. Conservation condition of Haloxylon salicornicum (Moq.) Bunge ex Boiss. in degraded desert habitats of northern Kuwait. Int. J. Curr. Microbiol. App. Sci. vol 3-10: 310-325.
16. Erfanifard, Y. and Khosravi, E., 2015. Modeling the Spatial Distribution of Eshnan (seidlitzia Rosmarinus) Shrubs to Exploring Their Ecological Interactions in Drylands of Central Iran. The International Archives of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences. vol 40-1: 163.
17. Erfanifard, Y., and Sheikholeslami, N., 2017. Competitive interactions of Persian oak coppice trees (Quercus brantii var. persica) in a pure dry woodland revealed through point pattern analysis. Folia Geobotanica. Vol 1-15.
18. Fedriani, J.M., Wiegand, T. and Delibes, M., 2010. Spatial pattern of adult trees and the mammal‐generated seed rain in the Iberian pear. Ecography. 33-3: 545-555.
19. Getzin, S., Wiegand, K., Schumacher, J. and Gougeon, F.A., 2008.  Scale-dependent competition at the stand level assessed from crown areas. Forest Ecology and Management. vol 255: 2478-2485.
20. Getzin, S., Worbes, M., Wiegand, T. and Wiegand, K., 2011. Size dominance regulates tree spacing more than competition within height classes in tropical Cameroon. Journal of Tropical Ecology. vol 27: 93­102.
21. Koh, L., M., Magnussen, S. and Marchetti, M. 2006. Sampling methods, remote sensing and GIS multiresource forest inventory. Springer. vol 388.
22. Li, F. and Zhang, L. 2007. Comparison of point pattern analysis methods for classifying the spatial distributions of spruce-fir stands in the north-east USA. Journal of forestry. vol 3: 337-349.
23. Law, R., Illian, J., Burslem, D.F.R.P., Gratzer, G., Gunatilleke, C.V.S. and Gunatilleke, I.A.U.N., 2009. Ecological information from spatial patterns of Halocnemum Strobilaceum: insights from point process theory (ESSAY REVIEW). Journal of Ecology. vol 97: 616-628.
24. Lopez, R.P., Larrea-Alcazar, D. and Zenteno-Ruiz, F., 2010. Spatial pattern analysis of dominant species in the Prepuna: Gaining insight into community dynamics in the semi-arid, subtropical Andes. Journal of Arid Environments. vol 74: 1534-1539.
25. Lan, G., Hu, Y., Cao, M. and Zhu, H., 2011. Topography related spatial distribution of dominant tree species in a tropical seasonal rain forest in China. Forest Ecology and Management. Vol 262: 1507-1513.
26. McIntire, E.J.B., Fajardo, A., 2009. Beyond description: the active and effective way to infer processes from spatial patterns. Ecology. vol 90: 46–56.
27. Navarro-Cerrillo, R., Manzanedo, R., Bohorque, J., Sanchez, R., Sanchez, J., Miguel, S., Solano, D., Qarro, M., Griffith, D. and Palacios, G., 2013. Structure and spatio-temporal dynamics of cedar forests along a management gradient in the Middle Atlas, Morocco. Forest Ecology and Management. Vol 289: 341-353.
28. Nguyen, H., Wiegand, K. and Getzin, S., 2014. Spatial patterns and demographics of Streblus Macrophyllus trees in a tropical evergreen forest Vietnam. Journal of Tropical Forest Science. vol 26-3: 309-319.
29. Quets, JJ., Temmerman, S., El-Bana, MI., Al-Rowaily, SL. and Assaeed, AM., 2013. Unraveling landscapes with phytogenic mounds (nebkhas): An exploration of spatial pattern. Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology. vol 49: 53–63.
30. Quets, JJ., Temmerman, S., El-Bana, MI., Al-Rowaily, SL. and Assaeed, AM., 2014. Use of Spatial Analysis to Test Hypotheses on Plant Recruitment in a Hyper-Arid Ecosystem. PLoS ONE. vol 9-3: 91184
31. Pommerening, A. and Stoyan, D., 2008. Reconstructing spatial tree point patterns from nearest neighbour summary statistics measured in small subwindows. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 38, 1110–1122.
32. Pillay, T., and Ward, D., 2012. Spatial pattern analysis and competition between Acacia karroo trees in humid savannas. Plant Ecol. vol 213: 1609–1619.
33. Stoyan, D. and Stoyan, H., 1994. Fractals, random shapes and point fields: methods of geometrical statistics. John Wiley & Sons Inc., England. vol 387.
34. Stoyan, D. and Penttinen, A., 2000. Recent application of point process methods in forest statistics. Statistical Science. vol 15: 61-78.
35. Sher, A.A., Wiegand, K. and Ward, D., 2010. Do Acacia and Tamarix trees compete for water in the Negev desert? Journal of Arid Environments. vol 74: 338-343.
36. Svatek, M., Matula, R., 2015. Fine-scale spatial patterns in oak sprouting and mortality in a newly restored coppice. Forest Ecology and Management. vol 348: 117–123.
37. Tengberg, A. 1995. Nebkha dunes as indicators of wind erosion and land degradation in the Sahel zone of Burkina Faso. J. Arid Environ. vol 30: 265-282.
38. UNDP, 2012. The Future We Want: Biodiversity and Ecosystems Driving Sustainable Development. United Nations Development Programme Biodiversity and Ecosystems Global Framework Pp. 20122020. New York.
39. Wiegand, T. and Moloney, K.A., 2004. Rings, circles, and null-models for point pattern analysis in ecology. Oikos. vol 104: 209-229.
40. Wiegand, T. and Moloney, K.A., 2014. Handbook of spatial point-pattern analysis in ecology. CRC Press, New York. vol 538.
41. Zhao, W.Z., Li, Q.Y. and Fang, H.Y., 2007. Effects of sand burial disturbance on seedling growth of Nitraria sphaerocarpa. Plant and soil. vol 295-1: 95-102.
Desert Ecosystem Engineering
Volume 7, Issue 2 in English
December 2023
Pages 55-66

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics