Volume 19, Issue 4 (12-2025)
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Spatial Distribution Prediction of Terfezia claveryi Habitat Using Modern Ecological Knowledge in Winter Rangelands of Golestan Province. مرتع 2025; 19 (4)
URL: http://rangelandsrm.ir/article-1-1321-en.html
URL: http://rangelandsrm.ir/article-1-1321-en.html
Abstract: (2 Views)
Background and Aim: The desert truffle Terfezia claveryi holds significant nutritional and economic value and plays a crucial role in the livelihoods of people in arid and semi-arid regions. Preserving and maintaining the habitats of this desert truffle is essential for biodiversity conservation and sustainable utilization of this valuable resource. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of T. claveryi and develop its habitat suitability map in the winter rangelands of Golestan Province.
Materials and Methods: After recording the presence points of T. claveryi as the dependent variable, environmental variables were identified as independent variables. To reduce model dimensionality, 16 variables were selected using a questionnaire and pairwise comparison via the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in Expert Choice software. These variables included topographic factors (slope, aspect, and elevation), climatic factors (mean temperature, mean precipitation, number of rain showers), soil physicochemical properties (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sand, silt and clay percentages, pH, and salinity), and land use as a human-influenced variable. Species distribution modeling was performed using MaxEnt software (version 3.3.3). The Jackknife test was used to determine the priority of influential variables. After model execution, the results were validated using the validation group occurrence (30%) and the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve method. The Area Under the Curve (AUC) served as a quantitative validation criterion. Finally, the habitat suitability map for T. claveryi was generated by interpreting response curves of independent variables and classifying them in ArcGIS into four categories: unsuitable habitat (0–0.2), moderately suitable habitat (0.2–0.4), suitable habitat (0.4–0.7), and highly suitable habitat (0.7–1).
Results: The MaxEnt model execution for the desert truffle in Maraveh Tappeh and Gonbad Kavous counties yielded AUC values of 0.958 and 0.927, respectively. The Jackknife test results from the MaxEnt model indicated that the most influential environmental factors in the distribution of T. claveryi in both counties were phosphorus content, mean annual temperature, sand content, mean annual precipitation, number of rain showers, and calcium carbonate, albeit with varying priorities. The results showed that the species' maximum presence occurred at approximately 14.1% calcium carbonate, 12.3 ppm phosphorus, 0.66 rain showers, and 19.2°C. Response curve analysis in Maraveh Tappeh indicated peak presence at around 0.79% calcium carbonate, 21.5 ppm phosphorus, 75.6 rain showers, 16.25°C, and 640 mm precipitation. The relationship between sand content and truffle presence followed a sinusoidal pattern in both counties. The results of this study suggest that, under current ecological conditions, parts of the southern and central winter rangelands of Golestan Province have the highest potential for T. claveryi habitat.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that while some factors are common in both regions, their order of importance differs, likely due to ecological and soil variations between the two areas. Accordingly, determining the habitat suitability of T. claveryi can aid in management planning by identifying potential distribution areas and enhancing large-scale species production.
Materials and Methods: After recording the presence points of T. claveryi as the dependent variable, environmental variables were identified as independent variables. To reduce model dimensionality, 16 variables were selected using a questionnaire and pairwise comparison via the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in Expert Choice software. These variables included topographic factors (slope, aspect, and elevation), climatic factors (mean temperature, mean precipitation, number of rain showers), soil physicochemical properties (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sand, silt and clay percentages, pH, and salinity), and land use as a human-influenced variable. Species distribution modeling was performed using MaxEnt software (version 3.3.3). The Jackknife test was used to determine the priority of influential variables. After model execution, the results were validated using the validation group occurrence (30%) and the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve method. The Area Under the Curve (AUC) served as a quantitative validation criterion. Finally, the habitat suitability map for T. claveryi was generated by interpreting response curves of independent variables and classifying them in ArcGIS into four categories: unsuitable habitat (0–0.2), moderately suitable habitat (0.2–0.4), suitable habitat (0.4–0.7), and highly suitable habitat (0.7–1).
Results: The MaxEnt model execution for the desert truffle in Maraveh Tappeh and Gonbad Kavous counties yielded AUC values of 0.958 and 0.927, respectively. The Jackknife test results from the MaxEnt model indicated that the most influential environmental factors in the distribution of T. claveryi in both counties were phosphorus content, mean annual temperature, sand content, mean annual precipitation, number of rain showers, and calcium carbonate, albeit with varying priorities. The results showed that the species' maximum presence occurred at approximately 14.1% calcium carbonate, 12.3 ppm phosphorus, 0.66 rain showers, and 19.2°C. Response curve analysis in Maraveh Tappeh indicated peak presence at around 0.79% calcium carbonate, 21.5 ppm phosphorus, 75.6 rain showers, 16.25°C, and 640 mm precipitation. The relationship between sand content and truffle presence followed a sinusoidal pattern in both counties. The results of this study suggest that, under current ecological conditions, parts of the southern and central winter rangelands of Golestan Province have the highest potential for T. claveryi habitat.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that while some factors are common in both regions, their order of importance differs, likely due to ecological and soil variations between the two areas. Accordingly, determining the habitat suitability of T. claveryi can aid in management planning by identifying potential distribution areas and enhancing large-scale species production.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/04/29 | Accepted: 2025/08/7 | Published: 2025/12/1
Received: 2025/04/29 | Accepted: 2025/08/7 | Published: 2025/12/1
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