مقالات رزومه اردوان قربانی

 Saqezchi-Chay watershed is important because of suitable ecological factors, high plant and animal production, and a water reservoir dam in the outlet part of this watershed. However, it is heavily used, overgrazed, and degraded. Therefore, this research aimed to locate different watershed management operations using a multi-criteria approach and compare AHP and ANP decision support methods in the geographic information system environment at the level of the Saqezchi-Chay watershed.

 The research criteria and sub-criteria include soil (depth and texture), climate (climate type and precipitation amount), land use and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), hydrological factors and soil protection (sedimentation rate, and curve number), topography (elevation, slope, and aspect), and economic and social (distance from the village, distance from the road and distance from the spring) were selected. Expert judgments for weighting were collected through a questionnaire in the field with a statistical population of 29 experts and academic staff members.

 The results of this research showed that the spatial prioritization of planting and pitting operations by the ANP method has a significant correlation with the AHP method at the 95% level and with an intensity of 0.937 and 0.957, respectively.

 According to the field visit and the evaluation of the success of the executive operations in the watershed, the ANP method prioritizes more accuracy and resolution due to its network nature and increasing the range of changes.

Innovation:

 In this research, an attempt has been made to develop a new operational framework for extracting and introducing different watershed projects based on information-based methods and mapping and using the AHP and ANP frameworks by removing expert opinions (especially when the expert does not have enough experience) to choose the best project in the best place.

Rangeland ecosystems cover more than half of the earth's land surface, these ecosystems have high carbon sequestration and cause the formation of about 10% of the total biomass carbon reserves and 30% of soil carbon. Carbon sequestration potential differs according to plant species, habitats, and management methods. Each ecosystem has a certain potential which is determined by utilizing of natural vegetation, climatic conditions, and physical and chemical properties of the soil. Moreover, the amount of carbon in the soil and plants depends on the characteristics of topography, and any change in the elevation and slope of the habitat will affect the amount of organic carbon in the soil and plant cover and carbon sequestration. Therefore, it is important to determine the effects of elevation and slope characteristics, type of vegetation and canopy cover, and soil characteristics on the amount and changes of carbon sequestration. In this study, the carbon sequestration capacity and its relationship with some physical and chemical characteristics of soil, topography, and rangeland habitat have been investigated.

Sampling was conducted in six sites in elevation gradient (from 1400 to 3600 m above sea level; rainfall from 350 to 700 mm; the mean temperature varies from -0.24 to 10.1 °C) in the north of Sablan Mountain, Meshginshahr County, Iran, including three sites with the dominant physiognomy of grass-shrublands and three sites with grassland in three elevation levels of less than 2000, 2000-2500 and more than 2500 m above sea level. In each site, soil sampling was conducted at two depths of 0-15 and 15-30 cm. The random-systematic method was used to study vegetation variables. In this way, 10 plots of one m2 (based on the distribution pattern of plants) were established in each of the three transects with a length of 100 m along each transect. After determining the normality of the data and the homogeneity of the variance of the data,  two-way analysis of variance general linear model (GLM) was used for the overall comparison.

The results showed that with the increase in elevation in the two investigated habitats (grassland and grass-shrubland), the carbon sequestration in the soil increased. Moreover, the results indicate that the depth of the soil has a significant effect on the carbon sequestration capacity. Thus the highest amount of soil carbon deposition is in the soil depth of 0-15 cm in the grassland habitat with an elevation of more than 2500 m (70.53 gr cm-2), then the depth of 0-15 cm in the grass-shrub habitat. At an elevation of more than 2500 m (63.98) and a soil depth of 30-15 cm, the grassland habitat is at an elevation of 2000-2500 m (62.73), and its lowest amount belongs to a soil depth of 30-15 cm. The grass-shrub habitat is at an elevation of less than 2000 m. The results of the correlation analysis of carbon sequestration in habitats and different elevation classes indicate a negative relationship with the percentage of sand, acidity, and electrical conductivity of the soil, and a positive correlation with the percentage of clay and silt, the percentage of organic carbon and organic matter, the percentage of carbon, particulate organic matter, soil nitrogen, and total vegetation cover has shown.

The distribution of carbon stocks between biomass and soil varies among ecosystems and is influenced by elevation, so that the carbon sequestration potential is more significant in high elevation classes than in lower classes. Based on the estimated carbon values in the studied habitats, it can be concluded that the higher percentage of canopy cover and density preserves more moisture and prevents evaporation, which in turn can affect the amount of cover and density. Therefore, the effect of vegetation in different elevation classes on the amount of changes in soil carbon deposition is confirmed based on the results obtained in this research. Overall, the carbon sequestration potential is different according to habitat and elevation classes; therefore, by better understanding these factors and investigating the management factors that affect the sequestration process, we can take steps towards strengthening carbon sequestration and sustainable management of rangelands.

Due to the proximity to natural resources and the environment around them, the villages are most affected by the environment and are of great importance. The improper rural development poses enormous environmental challenges such as degradation of rangelands and forests, overexploitation of soil and water resources and threats to wildlife. Of course, the distribution pattern and accessibility to service-based infrastructural indicators indicates the growth and development of rural areas and the attitude towards decentralized planning in the country. This research was carried out in 2022 with the aim of identifying and rank rank service-based infrastructure indicators based on services, in the northern villages of Ardabil province, using a variety of prioritization methodologies. The research method is descriptive-analytical and applied, according to the nature and purpose of the research. 15 indicators with appropriate level of validity and consensus of executive experts and academic experts were selected to measure the infrastructure in the region. According to the results, the highest rate related to the index of access to electricity is in the villages of Meshgin Shahr with a value of 86.71% and the lowest rate related to the index of access to agricultural machinery repair shop is in Garmi city with a value of 3.86. In general, the results showed that Dasht village in Meshginshahr city was at the first level compared to other villages (Ci=0.693) and Eastern Qashlaq village in Beileswar city was at the last level (Ci=0.497). Therefore, it is suggested that while locating rural areas at different levels, especially the level of access to existing facilities, the strengthening of village facilities and expansion of infrastructure and welfare services should be prioritized.

Management of watersheds and sustainable development today requires the most suitable and fastest method of obtaining and integrating information for optimal management and planning. One of the challenges of watershed management in the stage of planning and implementation of remedial and rehabilitation operations is choosing the appropriate and correct location; to have the necessary maximum efficiency and effectiveness, due to the high cost of mechanical operations and the lack of financial resources, select the right place to construct mechanical corrective dams has particular importance. Therefore, the objective of this research was to locate mechanical watershed management operations with a multi-criteria approach using AHP and ANP decision methods and compare the two methods in the geographic information system environment at the Saqezchi-Chay watershed. The research criteria and sub-criteria of 14 variables included soil (depth and texture), climate (type and precipitation amount), land use and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), hydrological factors and soil protection (flow accumulation, sedimentation rate, and curve number), topography (elevation and slope) and economic and social (distance from the village, from loan sources and the road). Expert judgments for weighting were collected through a questionnaire and in a field method with a statistical population of 29 experts and university professors. The results of this research showed that the ANP method had a significant correlation with the AHP method at the level of 95% and with an intensity of 0.839 and by comparing the prioritization of the two methods with Masonry Check Dams structures implemented in the Saqezchi-Chay watershed, it was determined that the ANP method prioritizes with more accuracy and resolution due to its network nature and increasing the range of changes.

Resolving social, economic and ecological challenges, analyzing the relationships between stakeholders and their surrounding environment is one of the requirements for empowering rangeland users. The interaction of humans and nature is defined as socio-ecological systems. Vulnerability, resilience and adaptive capacity have been identified as three characteristics related to the socio-ecological system. Therefore, the main aim of this research is to investigate the spatial changes of socio-ecological systems based on vulnerability, resilience and adaptation capacity criteria. Also, prioritization of the northern rural districts of Ardabil province using multi-criteria evaluation is another objective of the current study.
In this study, the research was conducted in the northern villages of Ardabil province. As per the Iranian Statistics Center's report from 2015, the northern region of Ardabil province comprises four cities: Meshginshahr, Germi, Bilasuvar, and Parsabad, along with 31 rural districts and 980 villages. The total population in this area is 237,907, residing in 61,412 households. The study focused on rural districts as the primary socio-ecological management units. These units encompass rural communities and rangeland ecosystems, each evaluated based on criteria such as resilience, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity. Based on the purpose of the research and different dimensions of socio-ecological systems, the research sub-criteria were selected. Data for the sub-criteria were gathered through mapping, climate data, and questionnaire analysis. To standardize the values across different rural districts, the maximum method was applied due to the varying nature of the criteria. Then, different weighting methods were then employed to evaluate and prioritize the rural districts accordingly.
The analysis results indicate that Shaban and Lahrud rural districts in Meshginshahr county have the highest vulnerability scores (0.871 and 0.867), while Aslandoz and North Qashlaq rural districts in Parsabad county have the lowest scores (0.448 and 0.483). This suggests that Shaban and Lahrud are in a more vulnerable situation compared to Aslandoz and North Qeshlaq. In terms of resilience, central Arshagh and West Qashlaq rural districts in Parsabad county have the lowest values (0.252 and 0.286), while the two western Meshgin and Meshginshahr Ghareso rural districts have the highest values (0.692 and 0.691) among all rural districts. Additionally, the adaptive capacity criterion shows that Dasht and Lahrud rural districts in Meshginshahr exhibit the highest favorability (0.797 and 0.864), whereas Angirlu and South Qeshlaq rural districts in Bilasuvar have lower favorability compared to other districts (0.111 and 0.145). Furthermore, the zoned maps of socio-ecological system index values revealed that when applying equal weighting or adjusting the weight of each criterion, there were no significant variations in the socio-ecological system index across rural districts. Notably, the analysis indicated that the southern rural districts in the research area exhibited more favorable socio-ecological conditions compared to other regions. Consequently, it is imperative to implement robust measures to conserve nature and the environment, provide support to rural communities, and align efforts with sustainable development objectives. This approach will facilitate informed decision-making and effective management of plans and projects aimed at enhancing social-ecological systems.
The results showed that the index of socio-ecological systems of Dasht, Lahrud, Qarasu, Western Meshgin and Eastern Meshgin rural districts in all four weighting approach conditions (with the same weighting, emphasis on vulnerability criteria, emphasis on resilience criteria and emphasis on adaptation capacity criteria) are more desirable compared to other rural districts. Overall, it is important to acknowledge that rural communities face greater challenges compared to urban areas in various aspects. When natural disasters strike, these communities are particularly vulnerable and have limited resources to recover. Therefore, it is crucial for management efforts to focus on maintaining favorable conditions and enhancing vulnerability, resilience, and adaptive capacity in lower prioritized regions. Based on the research results, it is recommended to prioritize intra-regional and inter-regional equity to establish sustainable development and service indicators effectively. Special attention should be given to the spatial and physical organization of rural villages.

The main purpose of this study was to mapping the canopy cover (CC) and the aboveground net primary production (ANPP) of plant life forms by the independent factor of physiographic in the rangelands of Ardabil province.Material &

First, according to plant types and environmental factors, sampling was taken at the peak stage of plant growth from 2016 to 2020 using one square meter plots. To determine the most effective environmental factor in the changes of plant parameters, the correlation between dependent and independent variables was used. Linear regression equation was used for modeling by the most effective factor and the maps were simulated. The accuracy of the equations was also calculated by RMSE. Then, the correlation between CC and ANPP of life forms and the total was obtained.

The results showed that the elevation factor had the highest correlation with the dependent variables. The difference between the estimated average of the model with the measured values for CC of grasses equal to +1%, forbs –1%, shrubs -1%, and total CC +2%; and these values for the ANPP of grasses equal to +21 kg/ha, forbs was equal to zero, shrubs were -13 and the total ANPP was +274 kg/ha.

Predicting the studied parameters will be necessary to manage the balance between supply and demand of rangeland products.

Remote sensing data provide a high ability to represent habitat characteristics and use in species distribution models. The purpose of this study is to determine the most important of remote sensing predictors, including climatic indices (precipitation and temperature), primary and secondary topographic indices (elevation, slope, direction, Topographic Position Index (TPI) and Terrain Roughness Index (TRI) and remote sensing indices (Global Environmental Monitoring Index (GEMI), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI), Modified Simple Ratio Index (MSR), Normalized Burn Ratio Index (NBR) and Visible Atmospherically Resistant Index (VARI)) using two species distribution models (Boosted Regression Tree and Random Forest) to predict the presence of J. excelsa in Khalkhal County of Ardabil province and northern part of Zanjan province using SAHM software. The evaluation of prediction models using AUC chart (Area under curve) showed that it is at an excellent level for both the BRT model (0.991) and the RF model (0.974). The most important affecting habitat desirability based on the BRT method include annual precipitation, slope, digital elevation model, temperature, GEMI index and TRI index variables respectively. The most important variables affecting habitat desirability based on the RF method, respectively, include annual precipitation, digital elevation model, GEMI index, slope, VARI index, temperature, MSR index, TRI index, TPI index, NBR index, MNDWI index, LAI index and aspect. The region mapped in the study as suitable habitats’ for the species could be used in the planning strategies with the aim of evaluating the susceptible habitats, the possibility of conservation, reproduction and breeding. Considering that the modeling method choice is the main source of variability in predictions and choosing the best prediction model is not simple, therefore, it is suggested to use a combination of these models instead of relying on the outputs of a single model.

Mountain ecosystems play an important role in ecosystem stability, especially for biodiversity protection and sustainable development and ecological security. This research was conducted with the aim of the investigating the composition and diversity of plants and the process of their changes in the elevation profile of Alvares to Sabalan (2300 to 4811 meters above sea level) with different elevation classes in the southeast slope, to protect gene reserves and management rangelands in this region.

After field investigations and according to the possibility of access to rangeland in the area, nine elevation classes (sites) were determined, three 100-meter transects were established in each site, and 10 one m2 plots were established along each transect with a distance of 10 meters from each other. Plant species were collected from the surface of the plots and then identified in the herbarium. In each plot, the percentage of vegetation cover and the density of species were recorded. The highest elevation that led to the collection of plant samples was Sabalan 4480 meters. Shannon, Simpson, Margalef and Menhinich indices were used to check the diversity and richness of plant species. Using the information related to measuring the percentage of canopy cover and the number of observed species, the indices of diversity, richness and evenness of species were calculated for the selected sites. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to investigate the differences between the sites in different elevation classes, and Duncan's test was used to compare the means. Various indices are used to determine species diversity, among which two indices, Simpson and Shannon-Wiener, were used. Species richness was also determined using Margalef and Menhinick indices and analyses related to vegetation ranking including Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) were performed.

The results showed that the Asteraceae family with 31 species, Astragalus with 10 genera are the most prominent elements of the region's flora. According to the results of this research, 33% of the identified species were related to Iran-Turonian region. The forms of Hemicryptophytes with (54%), Therophytes with (22%) were the most abundant biological forms in the region. The highest amount of diversity, richness and evenness was observed in the elevation class of 2200-3200 meters. The results showed that elevation, precipitation, temperature, soil sand content, slope and phosphorus were effective factors on the distribution of species. The greater compatibility of plants with the environmental conditions of the region has caused hemicryptophytes to form the dominant biological type of the region, the justification for the high presence of Therophytes is also the result of human interference and concentrated livestock grazing, road construction and recreational areas.

In examining the effect of elevation on the composition and diversity of plants, it can be concluded that the elevation affects the composition and diversity of plants, it seems that the condition of the composition and diversity of species in the southeast rangelands of Sabalan, based on the indicators of diversity and evenness, the rangelands have medium diversity conditions and are increasing is low indicating the intensity of destruction in the entire investigated areas, probably the cause of destruction at lower elevation, the impact of livestock grazing, as well as the effects of tourism activities and Alvares ski resort, and the causes of destruction at elevation above 3600 meters, the trampling of plants by mountain climbers and in the result is the loss of plant species. In general, the main reason for the low diversity in high elevation seems to be the decrease in temperature and the harsh conditions for the growth of plants.

This study investigates the ecological, economic, and social factors contributing to rangeland degradation in the Namin region of Ardabil, Iran. The research aims to identify key factors affecting rangeland degradation from the perspective of pastoralists, providing insights for targeted interventions and sustainable management practices.

The study focused on the rural areas of the Namin region in Ardabil province, with a specific focus on ranchers. The research population included rural ranchers with prior experience in utilizing rangelands. A total of 21 villages were selected as the sample for data collection, which took place during the spring of 2021 through field visits and interviews. The researchers used a questionnaire to collect information, covering general characteristics of the community under study as well as 33 ecological, social, and economic indicators. After identifying villages with a history of using rangelands, the researchers determined a sample size of about 5% of households in each village, based on the number of households in each village. The questionnaires were then completed through face-to-face visits, observations, and interviews in the target villages, using stratified random sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data and identify general characteristics of the statistical communities. The Friedman test was used to rank the indicators, and exploratory factor analysis was conducted to examine the factors influencing rangeland degradation. Data analysis was performed using SPSSVer.22 software.

The results of the Friedman test revealed that the indicators "the role of rangeland survey" had an average ranking of 23.57. In addition, "the effect of using stubble pasture" had an average ranking of 23.17, and "the impact of the government's actions against violators" had an average ranking of 23.13. These indicators, as per user opinions, played a crucial role in mitigating rangeland degradation in the region. The results of the factor analysis revealed that 10 factors had an eigenvalue greater than 1, explaining 71.96% of the data variance. Additionally, the results of the principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that a combination of indicators, based on factor coefficients, contributed to the identification of ten factors influencing socio-economic security, livestock fodder availability, differences in rangeland utilization among ranchers, participation in rangeland improvement and management projects, communal exploitation practices, land use changes, interest in livestock farming within rangelands, awareness and utilization levels, education and advertising efforts, as well as promotion and facilities. These factors were found to significantly impact the degradation of rangelands in the region. The lack of investment opportunities, entrepreneurship, and employment creation, as well as low income and the absence of suitable jobs, administrative corruption, non-compliance with legal regulations, and inadequate control over the stocking rate (including animals included in the grazing permit), were identified as the primary factors contributing to the degradation of rangelands in the Namin region. These factors were deemed to be of utmost importance in exacerbating the issue. Additionally, other contributing components with a smaller percentage have also played a role in the degradation of rangelands in the region.

The study highlights the multifaceted nature of factors contributing to rangeland degradation, emphasizing the importance of addressing ecological, economic, and social dimensions. Pastoralist perspectives play a crucial role in identifying indicators for mitigating degradation, and targeted interventions should focus on comprehensive studies to reinforce these factors. Key recommendations include addressing investment opportunities, employment creation, income enhancement, regulatory compliance, and effective control over stocking rates to promote sustainable rangeland management in the Namin region.

The aim of this study was to estimate the aboveground net primary production (ANPP) of life forms and total ANPP using Landsat 8 images in Siahpoosh and Ganjgah rangelands of Ardabil province. Field sampling was conducted in June 2019 and a satellite image was received at the same time. Seven sampling sites was selected, and three 100-meter transects parallel and perpendicular to the slope direction was established in each sites, and along each transects from 10 plots (1m2), the ANPP of life forms with random-systematic method were collected (210 plots in total). Then, 22 plant indices were selected according to previous references and calculated for the region. Next, the correlation between the ANPP of life forms and total ANPP with plant indices was calculated and the plant index with the highest correlation was selected for modeling. The first-order linear equation was used for modeling and the equations were estimated in ArcMap software as a map. The results showed that among the studied indices, NDVI was the most appropriate index for modeling; however, the highest correlation of this index was with total ANPP (0.88), and grasses ANPP (0.78); while it had less correlation with the forbs ANPP (0.41), and shrubs ANPP (0.31). The range of changes were 0 to 1857 kg/ha for grasses, 9 to 766 kg/ha for forbs, 0 to 458 kg/ha for shrubs, and 9 to 3081 kg/ha for the total ANPP. The accuracy of the models was evaluated by RMSE, MDE and MAE criteria and the accuracy was acceptable. Also, there was essentially no difference between the mean of real and modeled data. The results of this study can be used to balance the supply and demand of rangeland production for sustainable development of rangeland ecosystems.

Ensuring the availability of high-quality forage and a balanced diet is essential for cost-effective milk and meat production in buffaloes. In Iran, limited forage supply, poor access to forage, and imbalanced diets are major constraints that negatively impact buffalo production and hinder profitable breeding. To address these challenges, a comprehensive understanding of buffalo breeding areas, methods, production issues, problems, and feeding practices is crucial. This study aimed to determine the nutritional value of feed consumed by breeding buffaloes under stable and rangeland grazing conditions in the primary buffalo breeding habitats across different climatic regions of Ardabil province.

The nutritional value of feed consumed by buffaloes was assessed using gas production techniques in a completely randomized design. Digestibility, metabolizable energy, gas production and degradability parameters, microbial mass production, volatile fatty acids, and grazing diets were evaluated. The study was conducted in three selected locations: Damirof in Bilesavar, Gharabaghlar in Meshginshahr, and Arpatapeh Fandoghlu in Namin counties. Grazing periods and paddocks for buffalo herds were determined based on the Deputy of Livestock Production Improvement's recommendations. Plant samples grazed by buffaloes were collected at three stages of the grazing season in Meshginshahr and Namin (May 15 to June 15, June 15 to July 15, and July 15 to August 15), and one month earlier in Bilesavar (March 15 to July 15). Chemical composition and digestibility tests were conducted on the plant samples. Two types of diets, a "traditional diet" commonly used by buffalo breeders (control diet) and a "standardized diet" formulated based on metabolic energy and protein requirements for buffaloes with an average weight of 550 kg, were selected for feeding buffaloes in stable conditions. Chemical composition and digestion tests were performed on the fodder and concentrate used in the diets.

The results revealed that the balanced diet (standard diet) had significantly higher values of gas production, parameters b and c (slow decomposition and gas production rate), metabolizable energy (ME), net lactation energy (NEL), apparent organic matter digestibility (AOMD), true organic matter digestibility (TOMD), apparent fermentation of organic matter (AFOM), true fermentation of organic matter (TFOM), volatile fatty acids (SCFA), and rumen microbial biomass (MB) production and efficiency compared to the traditional diet (control) (p < 0.05) in all paddocks. Gas production, parameters b and c, ME, NEL, AOMD, TOMD, AFOM, TFOM, SCFA, and rumen microbial biomass and efficiency showed higher mean values during the early grazing season in each paddock compared to the middle and end of the grazing season. Overall, these parameters exhibited a decreasing trend throughout the grazing season (p < 0.05). The TOMD and TFOM values were higher in the early grazing season in the warm semi-arid region of Bilesavar compared to the cold regions of Namin and Meshginshahr (p < 0.05). However, SCFA and MB values were higher in the early grazing season in the cold regions compared to the warm semi-arid region (p < 0.05).

The study demonstrated that balanced diets (standard) had superior nutritional value compared to traditional diets (control) commonly used by buffalo breeders in the selected paddocks. Therefore, these balanced diets can be recommended as alternatives to traditional diets for feeding buffaloes. Additionally, the nutritional value of rangeland habitats varied depending on plant species composition, growth stage, and climatic conditions. For effective stocking intensity and livestock feeding planning in the rangeland, these variations should be considered.

The conservation and management of endangered medicinal and industrial plants in rangelands are essential for the economic and social benefits they provide. Dorema ammoniacum D. DON. is an important fodder, medicinal, and industrial plant that is threatened due to over-exploitation. This study aimed to predict the potential habitat of D. ammoniacum using logistic regression analysis and to identify the environmental factors that influence its distribution in the Nadoushan rangelands of Yazd province.

We collected data on environmental factors, including topography, climate, soil, and vegetation, from the rangelands of Nadushan. Vegetation sampling was conducted in six homogeneous units using the random-systematic method. Soil samples were collected from the beginning and end of each transect at depths of 0-30 and 30-60 cm. We used variogram analysis to investigate the spatial structure between soil factors, and kriging interpolation and inverse distance weighting methods were used to prepare soil characteristic maps. The logistic regression model was used to predict the potential distribution of D. ammoniacum, using presence/absence data and environmental data.

The results showed that the variables of saturated moisture, sodium and calcium percentage of the first soil depth, organic carbon percentage of the second soil depth, and nitrate of the first soil depth were the most important environmental factors affecting the distribution of D. ammoniacum. The presence of D. ammoniacum had a positive relationship with the percentage of saturated moisture and sodium of the first soil depth, organic carbon of the second depth, and calcium of the first soil depth, and a negative relationship with nitrate of the first soil depth. The logistic regression model predicted that 20% of the studied area had excellent suitability and 24% had suitable habitat for D. ammoniacum.

Logistic regression analysis was useful for predicting the potential habitat of D. ammoniacum in the Nadoushan rangelands, and the results can guide conservation efforts and management decisions. The study identified the significant environmental factors that influence the distribution of D. ammoniacum and provided a useful tool for identifying potential areas for sustainable exploitation and restoration of the species.

Intensification of natural disasters make it important to know the time variations of rainfall for wet and dry spell management and adaptation strategies. Measuring and predicting of precipitation anomalies using statistical methods is an important tool for climate studies. Seasonal changes determine the distribution of precipitation occurrence over a year period.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the seasonality variations of monthly rainfall data using circular statistics method at 28 rain gauge stations in a 30-years period. According to the results, the seasonality index of monthly rainfall, standard deviations and standard deviations were calculated in the monthly time scale. In the circular statistics method, the time of occurrence of the event is determined based on the angle on the scale of the studied event interval.

According to the results, the value of the seasonality index (r) in the 8 rain gauge stations are greater than unity, which includes Pol Almas, Kousetopragi, Nir, Lay, Sarein, Siyahpoosh, Neur and Yamchi, meaning that the occurrence of precipitation in these stations occur completely with seasonal natureAccording to the results, there is no correlation between the mean amount of rainfall and the values of the seasonality index (r). The highest Seasonal index (r) is calculated for the Lay station with a value of 1.53 and the minimum value of the seasonality index (r) is assigned to the time series of Totoonsin station with zero SI value. At most of the studied stations, it is observed that the value of the SI value (r) is close to 1 which indicate the seasonal nature of the precipitation occurrence.

Based on the values of the seasonality index, wet periods and the time distribution of rainfall in different months of the year can be determined. Also, the seasonality index can be used to determine the duration of droughts. The numerical calculation of the index over a long period of time can provide a more comprehensive understanding of precipitation distribution. Most of the rain gauges with seasonal rainfall pattern located in the east and west part of the Ardebil province. In conclusion, determining the distribution of precipitation in the study area showed that the precipitation occurrence in the Ardabil province occurs seasonal with distribution of precipitation in two to three months of the year.

Migration is the movement of people from one ecological region to another, it may be on temporary or permanent basis. Migration is a selective mechanism that impacts individuals and households economically, socially, educationally, and demographically, and it is an important phenomenon that many economists, particularly in developing countries, have addressed. Due to the varying situations in Ardabil province's rural areas, five counties (each with one watershed containing several villages) were chosen for this study, and the economic factors affecting rural-urban migration to ranchers were investigated.

The current research was carried out in the Ardabil province, in 2020. The five counties of Ardabil, Nir, Namin, Sarein, and Kosar were initially evaluated, then, a watershed was selected in each county where watershed management and rangeland restoratoin projects were carried out. In the next step, four villages from Ardabil's Kaftaragh watershed, three villages from Namin's Saqezchichae watershed, nine villages from Sarein's Darvishchae watershed, nine villages from Kosar's Likvanchae watershed, and eight villages from Nir's Siahpoosh watershed were chosen as statistical communities. In total, the statistical community includes ranchers from five counties and 33 villages in Ardabil province. The research method was descriptive-analytical and the data collection techniques were questionnaire, observation, face-to-face interview and village population statistics. The questionnaire included some descriptive features of the villages, village residents and also 11 economic factors. The sample size based on Cochran's formula was estimated to be 372 people. Following that, the proportion of each watershed in the total sample size was calculated, and information was gathered through in-depth interviews and the completion of a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were employed to extract the features of the statistical population. A single-sample t-test was used to assess the overall status of economic factors affecting ranchers’ migration. In addition, the Friedman test was utilized to rank the most important factors affecting migration and the Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to look for significant differences between villages in terms of economic factors that influence migration.

The results showed that 0.3% of the respondents with the lowest frequency had agricultural job and 85.5% with the highest frequency had the main job of livestock and agriculture. According to the findings, the average income in the agricultural sector is 167.6 million Iranian Rial, while the average income in the livestock sector is 309.1 million Iranian Rial. The income from livestock is nearly double that from agriculture, indicating that the research ranchers’ economy in the study area is more dependent on livestock. Moreover, the findings revealed that the most important economic factors affecting rural-urban migration were the lack of interest of the youth in continuing and expanding agricultural and livestock activities (mean rank = 9.78), more economic opportunities and access to higher-paying jobs in urban (mean rank = 9.56) and inequality of urban and rural facilities and welfare and livelihood services (mean rank = 8.88).

Considering that a large part of the rural communities of Ardabil province are ranchers, the economy of the pastoralists in the region is more dependent on livestock. In general, according to the results of the current research, the lack of interest of the youth to continue farming and ranching, more economic opportunities and higher income in the city, and the inequality of city and village facilities were the most important economic factors affecting the migration of pastoralists to cities.

The aim of this study is investigating the changes of macro elements in soil and vegetation based on the different life form with changes in elevation. For this purpose, soil and vegetation sampling was performed in 13 places in the elevation gradient of 300 to 3300 meters in 2016. In each site were placed three transects of 100 meters with 50 meters distance from each other and along each transect were placed  five plots of 1m2.  In Each plot, Vegetation was harvested based on vegetative form including grasses, forbs and shrubs and Soil samples were taken from two depths of 0 to 15 cm and 15 to 30 cm. Then calcium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus and nitrogen were measured for vegetation samples based on life form and soil samples. The amount of macro elements in soil and vegetation in different elevation classes were compared with each other using one-way analysis of variance test. The results showed that the concentration of soil macro elements in different elevation classes has significant difference. Maximum nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and calcium were at the elevations of 3300-3000 m (0.47%), 1500-1200 m (87.8 ppm), 3300-3000 m (57.6 ppm), 3300-3000 m (69.8 ppm) and 3300-3000 m (16.53 meq/l). Also, the macro elements of vegetation were significantly different in different elevation classes. Maximum nitrogen was in the shrubs at 2400-2100 m (3.06%), phosphorus in forbs at 3300-3000 m (548.2 ppm), potassium in forbs at 900-600 m (400.3 ppm), Sodium in shrubs at 300-300 m (58.4 ppm) and calcium in forbs at 0-300 m (261.7 ppm). It seems that the amount of nutrients in vegetation changes by changing amount of these elements in the soil through elevation. The results show that the Soil Macro Elements affect the amount of Minerals of plants. Due to the fact that balance in the amount of Minerals in plants is very important in animal nutrition, knowledge of the amount of these elements in soil and plants will be effective in providing animals with a proper diet and increasing the quantity and quality of livestock products.

The role of rangelands in the production of livestock products is important in terms of animal feed production. The value is two-thirds of the total cost of production in different livestock farming units. Rangeland managers consider livestock performance to be the ultimate result of the quality of the rangelands forage. Forage quality is defined as the ability to produce optimal level of livestock yields (meat, milk and wool production). The nutritional value of forage indicates the amount of energy and nutrients available to the animal. The purpose of this study was to determine the minerals and nutritional value of Tanacetum chiliophyllum Sch.Bip. and Potentilla reptans L. (dominant species of region) during three phenological stages (vegetative, flowering, seeding) and in two geographical directions of rangelands in Shoghal Darreh rangelands, Namin County of Ardabil province.

Two sites in the Shoghal-dareh area of Namin county in Ardebil province were selected for sampling. The area is in the vicinity of Caspian Sea. Humadity of the area links to the Sea, the West Alborz Mountain. Samples were randomly collected from 50 species. Dried specimens were taken into laboratory for the following, detemination of macro minerals (nitrate, calcium, phosphorus, nitrogen, sodium and potassium), micro minerals (iron, copper, zinc and manganese) and chemical properties (ADF, NDF, dry matter, crude fat, crude ash, and crude protein) using standard laboratory methods at different vegetative stages.

The results were compared using compare mean for statistical analysis and showed that the differences between T. chiliophyllum and P. reptans in potassium, calcium, nitrate, phosphorus, zinc, copper and manganese were significant (P<0.01) and in iron and ash they were significant (P<0.05). Phenological stages made a significant difference (P<0.01) in iron, zinc, manganese and fat. Aspect made a significant difference (P<0.05) in crude protein, dry matter, NDF, iron, calcium and nitrate. According to the results, the amount of macro elements, micro and crude protein levels in different stages of growth were lower than critical and the amount of dry matter was higher than the critical. These results indicate the importance of the role of intrinsic characteristics, growth stage and environmental conditions in determining forage quality characteristics.

The results of this study confirm that plant performance in ecosystems is affected by various factors such as species, aspect and growth stage. Each of these factors can have a significant impact on the quantity and quality of grassland plants. Therefore, studies on the impact of different environmental factors and growth stages needed to enable actuality-based management planning to exploit rangelands properly. The results of comparison of forage quality of two species showed that P. reptans had higher forage value than T. chiliophyllum. It is suggested that grazing systems should operate in such away that while maintaining the rangeland status, the livestock function could be kept at a favorable level.

Todays, with advances in satellite sensors, their role on obtaining information and study of the environmental events and phenomena have become increasingly important. One of these precious data which is the basis for many planning and decisions in rangelands, is the above ground net primary production. The traditional method of estimating ANPP is clipping and weighing. The high cost, time and difficulty in collecting are the limitations of the traditional method, which makes it extremely difficult and expensive to estimate the ANPP of large areas. Thus, the aim of this study was to estimate above ground net primary production (ANPP) using vegetation indices.

Sampling of vegetation was performed in rangelands of Sabalan elevations in Ardabil province and altitude ranges from 1500 to 3300 meters in 2016. Nine sites were selected in study area and in each site three 100 m transects was placed with 50 m interval. Along each transect 5 plots (1 square meter) with 20 m from each other was placed and in each plot, total and life forms including shrubs, grasses and forbs ANPP were measured. The initial net production samples were placed in an oven at 70 ° C for 24 hours and then weighed to determine their dry weight. Furthermore, veg/etation indices including NDVI, PVI3, RVI and SAVI were calculated using data of Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) images for 2015. Due to the fact that the maximum growth of vegetation in the region is in June, the images were selected for June. Then using general additive model in software R, curve of relationship between ANPP and vegetation was analyzed in two way Individual and Combined data. Finally, ANPP was modeled using non-linear regression.

The application of generalized additive models for each of the vegetation indices with total ANPP and life forms separately shows that NDVI, PVI3 and RVI have a nonlinear relationship with total ANPP and life forms. However, the SAVI index has a linear relationship with the ANPP of total and grasses. Also, all vegetation indices have a significant relationship with ANPP. The ranking of vegetation indices affecting the ANPP based on the coefficient of determination shows that the most important and least important plant indices are SAVI and PVI3 for shrubs, and PVI3 and SAVI for grasses, forbs and total ANPP. In the present study, contrary to expectations, NDVI vegetation index, which has many applications in the vegetation studies and its increase indicates the presence of more vegetation in the region, in the generalized additive model and the combined study of vegetation index and ANPP show a nonsignificant relationship. Results showed that nonlinear regression significantly increased the accuracy of ANPP estimation using vegetation indices. The coefficient of determination for total ANPP (0.80) is more than shrubs (0.74), grasses (0.75), and forbs (0.56) and among the life forms, forbs have the lowest coefficient of determination.

Based on the results, suitable vegetation index for estimate the ANPP of life forms are different. Also, ANPP estimation using vegetative indices at the total level is more accurate than life forms. According to the results, the OLI image and the use of nonlinear regression models were able to adequately estimate the ANPP in the study area. Therefore, if similar results are obtained in other areas of Ardabil, it will be possible to generalize the results and estimate this important ecological indicator with less time and cost. This tool can also be used to provide information on the amount of forage production and thus determine the capacity and amount of livestock, as well as the amount of pasture degradation.

Aboveground net primary production (ANPP) is one of the crucially characteristics of rangeland ecosystems and it is importance in the cycle of materials and energy in these ecosystems. The aim of present study was investigate the ANPP of life forms (grasses, forbs, and shrubs), and total ANPP; then modeling of life forms and total ANPP by using precipitation and temperature in Siahpoush and Ganjgah mountain rangelands of Kowsar County, Ardabil Province. Seven sampling sites were determined at different altitudes and in each site according to the vegetation pattern of the representative regions were considered as three transects (100 m) in each site and 10 plots were considered for ANPP evaluation in each transects. The relationship between climate factors classes (precipitation and temperature), and the ANPP were analyzed using one way Anova and Duncan analysis. The ANPP maps were simulated using linear regression in ArcMap10.0. The results show a significant relationship (p>0.05) between the life forms and total ANPP with precipitation and temperature factors. The accuracy (RMSE) of simulated maps for ANPP of grasses, forbs, shrubs and total ANPP was 0.07, 0.08, 0.14 and 0.06, respectively. The present study results can be used in balance between supply and demand of rangelands production.

Primary production and the contribution of each of the life forms of rangeland ecosystems are key features. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of rainfall and temperature changes on the amount of total production and life forms: grasses, forbs and shrubs in Sabalan,s rangelands. For determining of annual primary production (Full bloom stage), different species using one square meter plots by cutting and weighting method in different elevation was harvested in 6 plant types (totally 216 plots). Rainfall classes and temperature parameters were determined using the data of weather stations and derived relevant gradient. Then, climatic parameters for plots was derived by considering the position of sampling plots. Correlation between the life forms and total production with rainfall and temperature parameters were analyzed using multivariate regression method in SPSS16 software. Results show that, climatic parameters with the life forms production of grasses (P<0.01), forbs (P<0.01) and shrubs (P<0.01) have significant relationship, however there was no significant relationship between total production and selected climatic factors. Moreover, results show that the production of grasses are more affected by climatic factors in comparison with the other two life forms and have significant differences in different classes. Additionally, forbs production is more than shrubs affected by the selected climatic factors. The result of study can be used for the calculate primary production in mountain region, supply-demand balance of forage, biomass, health Ecosystem, Ecological balance and carbon sequestration.