Journal of Rangeland

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Evaluating patch dynamics in response to various grazing management and environmental condition in arid and semi-arid regions are important for assessing rangeland condition. This study aimed to study the changes in patch types and sizes in four years period under three grazing intensities in Semirom semi-arid rangeland. Length, width, height, and distance between plants patches were measured along the established transects in three sites with low, moderate and high grazing pressure. The plant patch dynamic was calculated based on the Riemann mathematical approach and simulated using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) method in Matlab software. The results showed that the patch attributes were significantly different between various sites with different grazing intensities (p <0.05). The plant patches dynamic along the grazing gradient reduced from high grazing pressure site to low grazing pressure site. Assessing the rangeland condition and trend over 10 years in this area also confirms these results.

Keywords: Gradient, Plant patches dynamic, Artificial neural network, Livestock grazing, Semirom rangelands.

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