Modern pollen rain–vegetation relationships along a forest–steppe transect in the Golestan National Park, NE Iran

Abstract

Pollen rain-vegetation relationships were studied over a forest-steppe transect in Golestan National Park, NE Iran. The surface pollen percentages were compared to the vegetation composition of the respective vegetation types in 18 sampling points using both descriptive and numerical approaches. Hyrcanian lowland forests are characterized by pollen assemblages Mots-clésPluie pollinique actuelle-végétation, écotone, représentation pollinique, Parc national du Golestan, Iran.

Climatic determinism in phytogeographic regionalization: A test from the Irano-Turanian region, SW and Central Asia

“…One of the most prominent examples for such boundaries can be found in northern Iran where the high Alborz mountain system sharply separates the Hyrcanian forest (Euro-Siberian region) in the north from the IranoTuranian montane steppes in the south. However, this transition, which may be only a few kilometers wide (Djamali et al, 2009), also coincides with a sharp climatic boundary (e.g. in Golestan National Park in NE Iran; Akhani, 1998) suggesting that here the topography exerts its influence on the flora by separating different climate systems.…”

A floristic survey of the Hyrcanian forests in Northern Iran, using two lowland-mountain transects

“…Flora of ecotone and upper mountain areas of the studied transects were more heterogeneous (with 306 plant taxa) compared to the forest sectors. Ecotones are frequently encountered in the transitional zone between the Hyrcanian forests in the South Caspian region and their adjacent semiarid steppes (Djamali et al 2009;Naqinezhad et al 2010). These ecosystems are among the most sensitive sections of the biosphere to environmental change and can shift considerably in response to climate change (Neilson 1993).…”

Woodland modification in Bronze and Iron Age central Anatolia: an anthracological signature for the Hittite state?

“…), cedar (Cedrus libani), terebinth (Pistacia spp. ), and juniper (Juniperus exelsa) also established themselves in their appropriate ecological zones (Cordova, 2007;Davis et al, 1988;Djamali et al, 2009b). From 3000 BC onwards, pollen records generally show a decline in oak in Anatolia and the Near East (Connor et al, 2004;Roberts, 2002).…”

“…Two taxa, oak and pine, were kept separate from other taxa as they dominate, with a tendency to be mono-specific in their respective vegetation communities in the region (Kaya and Raynal, 2001;Woldring and Cappers, 2001). The bulk of other species are found in the fringes or woodland transition zones (Davis et al, 1988;Djamali et al, 2009b).…”