Journal of Rangeland

Since the destruction of the plant patches is an indicator of rangeland degradation, the functionality of rangeland ecosystems can be assessed by evaluating the ecological condition of patches. This study aimed to evaluate the structural and functional characteristics of rangeland in grazed and un-grazed sites in Donna rangelands, located in Siah Bisheh watershed. Three transects with 100 meters length were established in each area randomly and the number of patches, total patches area, patch area index, landscape organization index and inter patch length mean and 11 soil surface indicators were then measured. According to the results, the structural characteristics of patches in grazed an un-grazed sites varied significantly (P<0.05). The slake test indicated that the ungrazed sites had highest soil resistance to water (6/7%). The results indicated that the types and severity of erosion levels, soil cover, perennial plant species basal cover and soil roughness did not vary significantly in grazed and ungrazed sites.