Net primary production variations under the effect of topographic factors in mountain rangelands of Namin county

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of altitude, slope, aspect and topographic index on life forms and total net primary production (NPP) in mountains meadows in Fandoghlou in Namin county in Ardabil province. NPP in three altitude, slope, topographic index classes and four aspect classes was estimated using one m2 plots (totally 180 plots) by harvesting and weighting method. Correlation between life forms and total NPP with topographic factors were analyzed using stepwise multivariate regression method and using derived regression equations, the maps of NPP were derived. Results show that different topographic factors has significant effects on forbs (p