Volume 18, Issue 1 (7-2024)
مرتع 2024, 18(1): 152-168 |
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Zandifar S, Hashemi Yazdi F, Naeimi M, Mohammad Aliha M. Paleoecological Distribution of the Endemic Medicinal Plant Diplotaenia damavandica. مرتع 2024; 18 (1) :152-168
URL: http://rangelandsrm.ir/article-1-1245-en.html
URL: http://rangelandsrm.ir/article-1-1245-en.html
Desert Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangeland, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran
Abstract: (290 Views)
Background and objectives: It is necessary to determine the growth boundary of endemic plants in biodiversity studies and to prevent their destruction, as well as to preserve and reproduce these valuable species. The purpose of this research is to determine the paleolimit, the exclusive and medicinal species of Diplotaenia damavandica Mozaffarian, Hedge & Lamond due to the limitations created in the water resources of the habitat. This plant has been reported only in a limited area in the southeast of Damavand and is of interest due to the presence of special compounds that have therapeutic effects in some skin complications.
Methodology: In order to study the quantitative status of the water feeding the Kezel pasture plant, the hydrograph of Garmsar, Firouzkoh, Damavand and Hamand-Absard aquifers was drawn for a period of 19 years using data from observation wells. The study of hydrological droughts in the region was calculated by the GRI drought index. The ancient boundary of the habitat and the ecological nest of this plant was investigated by collecting plant macrofossils from different geological layers of Madadi shales in three areas around the habitat and identifying and comparing them with the samples of the present age. The separation of palynomorphs from the surrounding sediments was done using the usual methods in palynology, and after preparing the required slides, they were studied with a Leitz light microscope (model SM-LUX-POL) and magnifications of 40 and 100. Palynomorphs were photographed using a 100 objective lens and using immersion oil by a Canon Power Shot A1100 digital camera.
Results: The findings of the present study showed that the water resources in the studied area have faced a sharp drop in the underground water level of -72.09 meters in recent years, as well as a decrease in the volume of aquifers of -1096.2 million cubic meters. The drought condition of the springs shows a severe trend. On the other hand, paleontological studies showed that in none of the studied palynological slides, D. damavandica pollen or samples similar to said pollen were found.
Conclusion: Despite recent declines in water availability, paleoecological evidence suggests that D. damavandica's distribution has remained relatively stable since the Tertiary geological period (third and fourth geological periods). This indicates that factors other than contemporary water scarcity may be limiting its distribution. Further studies using geological, hydrogeochemical, and geothermal approaches are recommended to definitively identify the primary factors controlling the plant's distribution within its current boundaries.
Methodology: In order to study the quantitative status of the water feeding the Kezel pasture plant, the hydrograph of Garmsar, Firouzkoh, Damavand and Hamand-Absard aquifers was drawn for a period of 19 years using data from observation wells. The study of hydrological droughts in the region was calculated by the GRI drought index. The ancient boundary of the habitat and the ecological nest of this plant was investigated by collecting plant macrofossils from different geological layers of Madadi shales in three areas around the habitat and identifying and comparing them with the samples of the present age. The separation of palynomorphs from the surrounding sediments was done using the usual methods in palynology, and after preparing the required slides, they were studied with a Leitz light microscope (model SM-LUX-POL) and magnifications of 40 and 100. Palynomorphs were photographed using a 100 objective lens and using immersion oil by a Canon Power Shot A1100 digital camera.
Results: The findings of the present study showed that the water resources in the studied area have faced a sharp drop in the underground water level of -72.09 meters in recent years, as well as a decrease in the volume of aquifers of -1096.2 million cubic meters. The drought condition of the springs shows a severe trend. On the other hand, paleontological studies showed that in none of the studied palynological slides, D. damavandica pollen or samples similar to said pollen were found.
Conclusion: Despite recent declines in water availability, paleoecological evidence suggests that D. damavandica's distribution has remained relatively stable since the Tertiary geological period (third and fourth geological periods). This indicates that factors other than contemporary water scarcity may be limiting its distribution. Further studies using geological, hydrogeochemical, and geothermal approaches are recommended to definitively identify the primary factors controlling the plant's distribution within its current boundaries.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2024/01/31 | Accepted: 2024/08/21 | Published: 2024/07/31
Received: 2024/01/31 | Accepted: 2024/08/21 | Published: 2024/07/31
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