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The aim of the present study was to examine the genetic variability of natural populations of Quercus infectoria, based on inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism (IRAP), inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR), and start codon targeted (SCoT) markers, in view of long-term conservation plans. A total of 150 accessions from ten populations of this species were sampled from northwest of Iran. Eighteen ISSR, ten IRAP, and ten SCoT primers generated a total of 466 unambiguous and repeatable bands, from which 448 (96.14 %) were polymorphic for all markers. The polymorphism information content (PIC) values for IRAP, ISSR, and SCoT markers were 0.26, 0.35, and 0.37, respectively. Genetic similarity and distance analyses indicated the existence of high variability among the studied accessions, so that a pairwise Jaccard's genetic similarity based on combined data ranged from 0.27 to 0.79. Cluster analysis for three different molecular types revealed that the accessions taken for the analysis can be divided into two distinct clusters. Molecular variance analysis revealed that more than 70 % of the variation resided within populations and less than 30 % could be attributed to variation among populations, possibly due to gene flow between populations and life history traits. These data provide valuable information for natural resource conservation.

Deep and semi-deep wells are one of the main sources of drinking water. Poor performance of well discharges is partly due to clogged holes, which requires rehabilitation of wells instead of well digging. Rehabilitation of well systems by chemical and mechanical methods is normally practised by a systemic approach that lacks integration and which has not led to any considerable improvement. The involvement of so many time-dependent components in well rehabilitation and their interactive complex relation with system performance requires a system dynamics approach. Such an approach is presented here. A conceptual model for well rehabilitation is developed considering appropriate archetypes and basic parameters affecting system utility and relevant causal loops. The Iranian city of Rasht has limited resources. The quantity of surface and groundwater resources and their supply potential for domestic use in Rasht have deteriorated due to urban development and water quality problems. Increases in population and water demand and limited investments have placed significant pressure on authorities and infrastructures in the provision of water. The use of groundwater resources must therefore be managed especially well. This work uses dynamic simulation software to model Rasht water well rehabilitation in order to determine the best economic choice. The model also considers the effects of management scenarios for different methods of rehabilitation.