A Preliminary Survey of Flora, Life form and Chorotype of Plants of the Booz Daghi Region in North Khorassan Province

Abstract

The Booz Daghi region with an area of 62,000 hectares is located 47 kilometers from Maneh and Semelghan city. The floristic composition, biological, and chorological spectra of this area were investigated through several random collections in different habitats and vegetation types, as well as from 220 plots established in selected plant communities during the growing season of 2021. In this regard, 252 vascular plant species belonging to 173 genera and 53 families were recorded as native plants in the Booz Daghi region. The richest families were Asteraceae (31), Poaceae (25), Lamiaceae (22), and Fabaceae (21). The genera Astragalus L. (10), Allium L., Convolvulus L., and Stachys L. (each with 5 species) were the richest ones. Hemicryptophytes (31.3%) and therophytes (29.8%) were the dominant life forms of the region. A considerable number of species (63.5%) belonged to the Irano-Turanian region. The results of this study showed that the Booz Daghi region had a relatively rich flora that requires special attention and proper planning to protect its biodiversity.Key words: Biodiversity, Endemic Species, the Irano-Turanian Region, Vegetation. IntroductionBecause of the accelerated process of destruction in different ecosystems and its negative effects on reducing biodiversity in recent decades, researchers are more interested in conservation issues. Considering that the first step in the effective and efficient protection of any resource is to have correct and comprehensive information about it, floristic studies provide valuable information about the types of plants and their general biological and vegetative characteristics in different regions.The climatic and environmental diversity of Iran created a rich flora and variety of vegetation in its different regions. The Booz Daghi region in North Khorassan province is one of the regions that has not been studied in terms of floristic aspects. The current research was conducted to investigate the flora and geographical distribution of plants in this region. The findings of this research can provide valuable information for managers and decision-makers in the field of existing plant reserves and planning for the protection of these resources. Materials and MethodsAbout 500 plant samples were collected from different habitats and vegetation types randomly. Some of them were collected from 220 plots of 100 m2 located in selected plant communities during the growing season of 2021. Plant samples were identified by using Flora of Iran, Flora Iranica, and a number of revision papers. Nomenclature conforms to Flora Iranica and is updated according to databases such as IPNI and POWO. The life form of plants was determined based on the Raunkiaer's classification system, distribution areas of plant species by suitable flora, and the chorotype of the species with their distribution areas in Iran and other countries. Findings (Results)In the preliminary survey of the Booz Daghi region, 252 plant species belonging to 173 genera and 53 families were found. In terms of the number of species, Asteraceae with 22 genera and 31 species, Poaceae with 19 genera and 25 species, Lamiaceae with 10 genera and 22 species, and Fabaceae with 10 genera and 21 species had the largest contribution among the identified families. Astragalus with 10 species, Allium, Convolvulus, and Stachys (with 5 species), Centaurea, Cousinia and Ziziphora (with 4 species) and Acanthophyllum, Salvia and Tulipa (with 3 species) had the maximum number of species among the plant genera of the region.The investigation of the biological spectrum of the region showed that hemicryptophytes, therophytes, geophytes, chamaephytes, and phanerophytes had 31.3, 29.8, 14.7, 12.7 and 11.5% of life forms, respectively. The results of plants’ geographical distribution studies showed that Irano-Turanian elements formed 63.5% of the species. After that, there were Irano-Turanian/Mediterranean elements with 13.9% and Euro-Siberian/Mediterranean/Irano-Turanian elements with 11.9%. The other species found in the Irano-Turanian region were in other floristic regions. ConclusionIn the present research, the flora of the Booz Daghi region was investigated. The results of the research showed that there were 252 plant species from 173 genera and 53 families in this area. More than 63.5% of them belonged to the Irano-Turanian region. The Booz Daghi region belonged to this floristic region. Due to the hard environmental conditions, the Asteraceae, Poaceae, Lamiaceae and Fabaceae families, and among the life forms, hemicryptophytes and therophytes were the most abundant. Based on the results, the Booz Daghi region had relatively good species richness. For this reason, it can be considered an important region in studies. Comprehensive planning and supplementary studies for biodiversity protection should be conducted in this region.

Keywords

• biodiversity
• endemic species
• the irano-turanian region
• vegetation