Volume 19, Issue 4 (12-2025)
مرتع 2025, 19(4): 421-436 |
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Riyazinia V, Azimi M, Barani H, Piri Sahragard H, Yeganeh H, Sharifian A. Spatial Distribution Prediction of Terfezia claveryi Habitat Using Modern Ecological Knowledge in Winter Rangelands of Golestan Province. مرتع 2025; 19 (4) :421-436
URL: http://rangelandsrm.ir/article-1-1321-en.html
URL: http://rangelandsrm.ir/article-1-1321-en.html
Vahideh Riyazinia 
, Mojgansadat Azimi , Hossein Barani , Hossein Piri Sahragard , Hassan Yeganeh , Abolfazl Sharifian
, Mojgansadat Azimi , Hossein Barani , Hossein Piri Sahragard , Hassan Yeganeh , Abolfazl Sharifian
Department of Range Management, Faculty of Range and Watershed Management, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan
Abstract: (292 Views)
Background and Objective: The desert truffle Terfezia claveryi holds significant nutritional and economic value and plays a key role in the livelihoods of people living in arid and semi-arid regions. Preserving its habitats is crucial for biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of this valuable resource. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of T. claveryi and develop a habitat suitability map for the species in the winter rangelands of Golestan Province.
Methodology: Presence points of T. claveryi were recorded as the dependent variable, while environmental variables were identified as independent variables. To reduce model dimensionality, 16 variables were selected through a questionnaire and pairwise comparison using 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), with the Jackknife test applied to determine the relative importance of the variables. Model results were validated using a 30% validation group occurrence and the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve method, with the Area Under the Curve (AUC) as the quantitative validation criterion. A habitat suitability map for T. claveryi was generated by interpreting the response curves of the independent variables and classifying them 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) using ArcGIS.
Results: The MaxEnt model performed well for predicting the distribution of the desert truffle, yielding AUC values of 0.958 for Maraveh Tappeh and 0.927 for Gonbad Kavous counties. Jackknife test results revealed that the most influential environmental factors for 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, with varying levels of importance. In Gonbad Kavous, the species' maximum presence occurred at approximately 14.1% calcium carbonate, 12.3 ppm phosphorus, 0.66 rain showers, 19.2°C mean temperature, and 350 mm precipitation. In Maraveh Tappeh, peak presence was recorded at around 0.79% calcium carbonate, 21.5 ppm phosphorus, 75.6 rain showers, 16.25°C, and 400 mm precipitation. The relationship between sand content and truffle presence followed a sinusoidal pattern in both counties, as the sand data was uniform. The study suggests that, under current ecological conditions, the southern and central winter rangelands of Golestan Province have the highest potential as suitable habitats for T. claveryi.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that while some environmental factors influence T. claveryi distribution similarly in both regions, their relative importance differs, likely due to ecological and soil variations between the two areas. Therefore, understanding the habitat suitability of T. claveryi can assist in management planning by identifying potential distribution areas and promoting large-scale species production.
Methodology: Presence points of T. claveryi were recorded as the dependent variable, while environmental variables were identified as independent variables. To reduce model dimensionality, 16 variables were selected through a questionnaire and pairwise comparison using 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), with the Jackknife test applied to determine the relative importance of the variables. Model results were validated using a 30% validation group occurrence and the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve method, with the Area Under the Curve (AUC) as the quantitative validation criterion. A habitat suitability map for T. claveryi was generated by interpreting the response curves of the independent variables and classifying them 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) using ArcGIS.
Results: The MaxEnt model performed well for predicting the distribution of the desert truffle, yielding AUC values of 0.958 for Maraveh Tappeh and 0.927 for Gonbad Kavous counties. Jackknife test results revealed that the most influential environmental factors for 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, with varying levels of importance. In Gonbad Kavous, the species' maximum presence occurred at approximately 14.1% calcium carbonate, 12.3 ppm phosphorus, 0.66 rain showers, 19.2°C mean temperature, and 350 mm precipitation. In Maraveh Tappeh, peak presence was recorded at around 0.79% calcium carbonate, 21.5 ppm phosphorus, 75.6 rain showers, 16.25°C, and 400 mm precipitation. The relationship between sand content and truffle presence followed a sinusoidal pattern in both counties, as the sand data was uniform. The study suggests that, under current ecological conditions, the southern and central winter rangelands of Golestan Province have the highest potential as suitable habitats for T. claveryi.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that while some environmental factors influence T. claveryi distribution similarly in both regions, their relative importance differs, likely due to ecological and soil variations between the two areas. Therefore, understanding the habitat suitability of T. claveryi can assist in management planning by identifying potential distribution areas and promoting 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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