The effect of livestock grazing intensity on the frequency distribution pattern and species abundance of rangelands in Sarbisheh, South Khorasan

Document Type : Research/Original/Regular Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor,/Rangeland and Watershed Management Department, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran

2 Assistant Professor/ Razavi Khorasan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
Livestock grazing has a direct or indirect effect on the density, diversity, and distribution of vegetation cover in Rangelands. Excessive livestock grazing is one of the destructive pressures on rangelands, which causes a decrease in diversity, and loss of sensitive plant elements. In this regard, maintaining species diversity and abundance is one of the goals of managing natural ecosystems. The concept of species diversity is a combination of two interconnected components of richness and uniformity. Species richness means the number of species per unit area and uniformity means the distribution of individuals and plant species per unit area. Many species diversity indices have been invented so that species diversity can be studied using them. Considering the importance and role of both components of species diversity, ecologists want to evaluate and study indicators that examine both components and determine the contribution of each. In this regard, several methods have been proposed for the evaluation and studies of plant diversity. Two major groups of these methods include numerical indices (richness, uniformity, and diversity) and parametric indices (for example, frequency distribution models, category-frequency diagrams, dominance-diversity, and diversity grading curves). In this research, the condition of vegetation cover, frequency, abundance, and diversity of species in three rangelands with light, medium, and heavy grazing intensities in the rangelands of Sarbisheh City is investigated.
 
Materials and Methods
This research was carried out in the plain rangelands of west of Sarbisheh City located in South Khorasan Province. First, after the field visit and observing the effects of destruction in the soil and vegetation caused by the intensity of livestock grazing and the presence of invasive plants in the studied rangelands, In the whole field of research, The effects of light, medium and heavy grazing (each in three separate plant types) were observed. Sampling in each plant type was done randomly and systematically. The percentage of plant cover and density was evaluated by visual and counting methods, species abundance based on the Ranquier method, species diversity using numerical indices, and species abundance using statistical and ecological models. Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test was used to compare vegetation characteristics and species diversity in three intensities of livestock grazing. In order to select the best model for fitting the Four species data with statistical models, akaike's information criterion (AIC) was used.
 
Results and Discussion
The result of the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test showed that the intensity of livestock grazing had no significant effect on any of the studied characteristics. Nevertheless, the rangeland under light grazing had a higher coverage percentage and plant density (42.27 % and 28,000 plants per ha) than the rangeland under medium and heavy grazing. According to the Shannon-Wiener index, very low diversity was assessed in two rangeland with light and medium grazing intensity (H=1.78 and H=1.69, respectively), and low diversity was assessed in the rangeland with heavy grazing intensity (H=2.02). Rangeland with moderate grazing intensity is relatively lower in species diversity (H=1.69 and 1-D=0.66) and higher in richness (15 species) and species dominance (D=0.34). Based on the AIC criterion, the results showed that rangelands with light, medium, and heavy grazing intensity were best fitted with the logarithmic series, lognormal series, and logarithmic series models, respectively. In communities where the sampling volume is large, she recommended three logarithmic, Shannon, and Simpson indices, which have low to moderate sensitivity to plot size and are widely used.
 
Conclusion
The results of the present research showed that species abundance patterns change due to the intensity of livestock grazing. By comparing the results of species abundance models in the current research with other research, it can be said that in areas with high species richness, with increasing grazing pressure (from low to high), the distribution of species abundance changes from the normal log series (representing a stable society) to a geometric or log-normal series (representing an unstable society) But in the present research, because the rangeland has a poor condition in terms of species richness and diversity, species abundance distribution models are not a suitable indicator for distinguishing the three intensities of livestock grazing.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Akafi, H.R., & Ejtehadi, H.R. (2008). Investigation of plant species diversity in grazed and ungrazed areas by use abundance models. Journal of sciences (Islamic Azad University), 17(66), 63-72. [In Persian]
Arzani, H. (1997). Guidelines for assessing the rangelands of different climate zones of Iran. Forestry and Rangeland Research Institute, 22 pages.[In Persian]
Baghani, M., Sepehr, Adel, & Barani, H. (2009). The Role of She Analysis in Definig Species Diversity Components of Mountain Rangelands (Ziarat Basin, Gorgan). Journal of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, 16(1), 212-220. [In Persian]
Baliton, R.S., Landicho, L.D., Cabahug, R.E., Paelmo, R.F., Laruan, K., Rodriguez, R., Visco, R.G., & Castillo, A.K.A. (2020). Ecological services of agroforestry systems in selected upland farming communities in the Philippines. Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 21(2). https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d210237
Berger, W.H., & Parker, F.L. (1970). Diversity of planktonic foraminifera in deep-sea sediments. Science, 168(3937), 1345–1347. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1730033
Borhani, M., & Jaberolansar, Z. (2018). The effect of grazing management on diversity indices in semi steppe region of Isfahan Province (Case study: Hanna station, Semirom). Iranian Journal of Range and Desert Research, 25(1), 191-200. doi: 10.22092/ijrdr.2018.116237 [In Persian]
Chao, A. (1984). Non-parametric estimation of the classes in a population. Scandinavian Journal of Statistics,11(4), 265–270. doi: 10.2307/4615964
Chavez, V., & Macdonald, S.E. (2012). Partitioning vascular understory diversity in mixedwood boreal forests, the importance of mixed canopies for diversity conservation. Forest Ecology and Management, 271(3), 19-26. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2011.12.038
Ejtehadi, H., Sepehri, A., & Akafi, H. R. (2009). Biodiversity measurement methods. Ferdowsi University Press, Mashhad, 228 pages. [In Persian]
Frontier, S. (1987). Applications of fractal theory to ecology. Pp. 357-378, In: Developments in Numerical Ecology, Springer-Verlag, Berlin. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-70880-0_9
Goodman, D. (1975). The theory of diversity-Stability relations in ecology. The Quarterly Review of Biology, 50(3), 237-266.
Gorelick, R. (2006). Combining richness and abundance into a single diversity index using matrix analogues of Shannon's and Simpson's indices. Ecography, 29(4), 525-530. doi:10.1111/j.0906-7590.2006.04601.x
Guajardo, S. (2015). Measuring diversity in police agencies. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, 13(1). 1-15. doi:10.1080/15377938.2014.893220
Gurevitch, J., Scheiner, S.M., & Fox, G.A. (2021). The Ecology of Plants. 3th Edition: Sinauer Associates, an imprint of Oxford University Press, 648 pages.
Hector, A., Bell, T., Hautier, Y., Isbell, F., Kery, M., Reich, P.B., Ruijven, J.V., & Schmid, B. (2011). BUGS in the analysis of biodiversity experiments: species richness and composition are of similar importance for grassland productivity. PLOS ONE, 6(3), 1-10. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017434
Hendricks, H.H., Bond, W.J., Midgley, J.J., & Novellie, P.A. (2005). Plant species richness and composition a long livestock grazing intensity gradients in a Namaqualand (south Africa) protected area. Journal of Plant Ecology, 176, 19-33. doi:10.1007/s11258-003-0009-6
Hickman, K., Hartnett, D.C., Cochran, R.C., & Owensby, C.E. (2004). Grazing management effects on plant species diversity in tallgrass prairie. Journal of Range Management, 57, 58-65. doi:10.2307/4003955
Kemp, D.R., King, W.McG., Lodge, G.M., Murphy, S.R., Quigley, P.E., & Sanford, P. (2003). Plant species diversity and productivity in grazed permanent grasslands. 11th Australian Agronomy Conference, Geelong, Victoria, Pp. 1-5.
Kent, M. (2012). Vegetation Description and Data Analysis. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.
Keylock, C.J. (2005). Simpson diversity and the Shannon–Wiener index as special cases of a generalized entropy. Oikos, 109(1), 203-207. doi: 10.1111/j.0030-1299.2005.13735.x
Khadem Alhosseini, Z. (2010). Comparison Of Numerical Plant Species Diversity Indices in Three Different Grazing Intensities (Case Study: Gardaneh Zanbouri – Arsanjan). Rangeland, 4(1), 104-111. [In Persian]
Krebs, C.J. (2009). Ecology: the experimental analysis of distribution and abundance. 6th Edition: Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco, 653 pages.
Krebs, C.J. (2014). Ecological Methodology. 3rd Edition, Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, Inc, 620 pages.
Kumar, P., Dobriyal, M., Kale, A., Pandey, A.K., Tomar, R.S., & Thounaojam, E. (2022). Calculating forest species diversity with information-theory based indices using sentinel-2A sensor's of Mahavir Swami Wildlife Sanctuary. PLOS One, 17(5). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268018
MacArthur, R.H. (1957). On the Relative Abundances of Bird Species. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 43, 293–295. doi:10.1073/pnas.43.3.293
Maghsoudi Moghadam, M., Tahmasebi, P., Ebrahimi, A., Shahrokhi, A., & Faal, M. (2012). Effects Of Livestock Grazing On Plant Community Composition And Diversity In Steppic Rangelands Of Boroujen. Rangeland, 5(4), 410-418. [In Persian]
Magurran, A.E. (2004). Measuring Biological Diversity. Blackwell Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 256 pages.
Mirdavoodi Akhavan, H.R., & Zahedipour, H.A. (2005). Determination of Suitable Species Diversity Model for Meyghan Playa Plant Association and Effect of Some Ecological Factors on Diversity Change. Pajouhesh & Sazandegi, 18(3), 56-66. [In Persian]
Mesdaghi, M. (2005). Plant Ecology. Mashhad Jehad Daneshgahi Publication, Mashhad, 187pages.[In Persian]
Moghaddam, M. (2001).  Vegetation ecology and descriptive statistics. University of Tehran Press, Tehran. 274 pages. [In Persian]
Moghbeli, Z., Ebrahimi, M., & Shirmohammdi, E. (2021). Effects of different livestock grazing intensities on plant cover, soil properties, and above and below ground C and N pools in arid ecosystems (Jiroft rangeland, Iran). Environmental Resources Research, 9(1), 13-30. doi:10.22069/ijerr.2021.5525
Mohammadzadeh, A., basiri, R., & torahi, A. (2015). Evaluation of biodiversity of plant species in Arasbaran zone using noun parametric measures With Respect to Ecological Factor of Altitude. Cellular and Molecular Research (Iranian Journal of Biology), 27(5), 949-963. doi: 27518 [In Persian]
Motamedi, J., & Sheidai Karkaj, A. (2015). A suitable model for distribution of frequency diversity in three different crop intensities in the Dizaj Betchi rangelands of West Azerbaijan. Journal of Range and Watershed, 67(1), 115-103. doi: 10.22092/ijrdr.2019.120003 [In Persian]
Motomura, I. (1932). A statistical treatment of associations. Japanese Journal of Zoology, 44, 379–383.
Olszewski, T.D. (2004). A unified mathematical framework for the measurement of richness and evenness within and among multiple communities. Oikos, 104(2), 377-387. doi:10.1111/j.0030-1299.2004.12519.x
Pielou, E.C. (1975). Ecological diversity. Wiley, New York. Chapman and Hill, London, 220 pages.
Preston, F.W. (1948). The Commonness, and Rarity, of Species. Ecology, 29(3), 254–283. doi:10.2307/1930989
R Development Core Team, (2021). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria.
Rostampour, M. (2022). Rangeland Ecosystems Monitoring in different climatic regions of Iran, South Khorasan Province, Khosf Site. Final research report, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands.
Rostampour, M., Jafari, M., Farzadmehr, J., Tavili, A., & Zare Chahouki, M.A. (2009). Investigation of Relationships Between Plant Biodiversity and Environmental Factors in the Plant Communities of Arid Ecosystems (Case Study: Zirkouh of Qaen). Watershed Management Researches (Pajouhesh-Va-Sazandegi), 22(2), 47-57. [In Persian]
Salami, A., Zare, H., Amini Eshkevari,T., & Jafari, B. (2007). Comparison of plant species diversity in the two grazed and ungrazed rangeland sites in Kohneh Lashak, Nowshahr. Pajouhesh & Sazandegi, 20(1), 37-46. [In Persian]
Shaidai Karkaj, E., & Ghanbari, S. (2019). Fitting of species frequency distribution models in woody societies in rangelands of Gouradarah, Gechigiran Ahar. Iranian Forests Ecology Journal, 7(14), 47-57. dor: 0.1001.1.24237140.1398.7.14.7.1 [In Persian]
Sheidai Karkaj, E., & Motamedi, J. (2021). Evaluation of species diversity indices in Chaharbagh rangelands of Golestan province. Iranian Journal of Range and Desert Research, 28(2), 238-251. doi: 10.22092/ijrdr.2021.124162 [In Persian]
Shannon, C.E., & Wiener, W. (1948). The mathematical theory of communication. The Bell System Technical Journal, 27(3), 379-423. doi:10.1002/j.1538-7305.1948.tb01338.x
Simpson, E.H. (1949). Measurment of diversity. Nature, 163, 1-20. doi:10.1038/163688a0
Wilson, B., Miller, K., Thomas, A.L., Cooke, N., & Ramsingh, R. (2008). Foraminifera in the mangal at the Caroni swamp, Trinidad: diversity, population structure and relation to sea level. Journal of Foraminiferal Research, 38(2), 127-136. doi: 10.2113/gsjfr.38.2.127
Yang, X.H., Guo, X.L., & Fitzsimmons, M. (2012). Assessing light to moderate grazing effects on grassland production using satellite imagery. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 33(16), 5087–5104. doi:10.1080/01431161.2012.657372
Yuguang, B., Abouguendia, Z., & Redmann, R.E. (2001). Relationship between plant species diversity and grassland condition. Journal of Range Management, 54(2), 177-183. doi: 10.2307/4003180
Zak, J.C., Fresquez, P.R., & Visser, S. (1992). Soil microbial processes and dynamics: Their importance to effective reclamation. In: Chambers, J., & Wade, G.L. (eds), Evaluating Reclamation Success, General Technical Report, N.E. Forest Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Zarekia, S., Fayaz, M., Gholami, P., Goudarzi, M., & Jafari, F. (2014). Effects of Different Grazing Management Methods on Plant Species Diversity and Richness in the Steppe Rangeland of Saveh, Iran. Iranian Journal of Applied Ecology, 2(6), 1-11. dor: 20.1001.1.24763128.1392.2.6.1.0 [In Persian]
Water and Soil Management and Modelling
Volume 3, Issue 2
2023
Pages 198-216

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 06 November 2022
  • Revise Date: 03 December 2022
  • Accept Date: 05 December 2022

Share

How to cite

Statistics