Smoke and heat as germination cues are some of the most important drivers stimulating seed germination. However, the impact of germination factors from wildfire (i.e., smoke and heat) on the germination of species occurring in western Asia has rarely been investigated. We aimed to analyze the effects of different smoke and heat treatments on seed germination of three perennial grasses (Festuca valesiaca, Poa densa, and Stipa zalesskii) collected from two non-burned and burned environments of the mountain steppes in Golestan National Park, Iran. Seeds were germinated on filter paper following smoke (1:2000, 1:1000, and 1:500, v/v) or heat (50, 80, 100?C) treatments. Results showed that the germination of study species was reduced by heat tre

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used b

Assessing impacts of different factors on soil erosion is crucial for developing management of watershed resources. The present study aimed at determining the effect of rainfall intensity (RI) and slope steepness (SS) on sediments subjected to raindrop detachment (RD), transport by raindrop splash (ST), raindrop-induced flow transport (RIFT) and transport by flow (FT), using partial eta squared (ɳp2). Experiments were carried out on a plot (6 ? 1 ? 0.5 m) filled by silty loam soil and subjected to three RIs values of 30, 60 and 90 mm h−1 and three SS values of 5, 15 and 25% in three replicates. The total splash was influenced by RI with respect to ɳp2 and F-value of 0.29 and 14.68. It was found that the particle size <8 

A water-soluble polysaccharide was isolated from Tornabea scutellifera and fractionated using a DAEA Sepharose FF column to evaluate its capacity to stimulate natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages. Neutral sugars (71.8–93.5%) constituted the major part of crude polysaccharides and fractions (TSF1 and TSF2) with relatively lower levels of proteins (0.4–20.3%) and uronic acids (0.8–4.9%). The weight average molecular weights (Mw) of 152.7–537.3 ? 103 g/mol were measured for isolated polysaccharides. The polysaccharides were composed of glucose (14.4–44.0%), galactose (23.2–43.2%), mannose (28.5–34.2%) and rhamnose (2.6–13.9%) units connected through (1→2)-Galp, (1→2,6)-Galp, (1→4)-Glcp, (1→6)-Glcp, (1→3)-Rhap

Halophytes are crucial in the light of increasing soil salinization, yet our understanding of their chemical composition and its relationship to key morphological traits such as succulence or salt excretion is limited. This study targets this issue by exploring the relationship between the elemental composition of 108 plant species from saline environments in Iran and their eco-morphological traits and taxonomy. Leaves and/or photosynthetic shoots of individual species and soils were sampled and analyzed for 20 elements in plant samples and 5 major elements plus % gypsum content, pH, and EC in soil samples. Eu-halophytes and leaf- and stem-succulent and salt-recreting plants showed high concentrations of Na, S, and Mg and low concentrations

Acer hyrcanum is a rare maple distributed mainly in the Hyrcanian Mountain forests of Iran and in other parts of western Asia. Its high potential for use in forest rehabilitation programmes is limited due to lack of knowledge about its seed germination requirements. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the seed dormancy and germination requirements of this rare maple. Mature seeds require at least eight weeks of cold moist stratification to overcome dormancy and initiate seed germination, however, 16 weeks of cold stratification was found to be optimum to achieve> 95% germination. GA3 shortened the cold stratification period and enhanced germination but failed to substitute for the cold stratification requirement. Pericarp removal

Reduced precipitation treatments often are used in field experiments to explore the effects of drought on plant productivity and species composition. However, in seasonally snow-covered regions reduced precipitation also reduces snow cover, which can increase soil frost depth, decrease minimum soil temperatures and increase soil freeze–thaw cycles. Therefore, in addition to the effects of reduced precipitation on plants via drought, freezing damage to overwintering plant tissues at or below the soil surface could further affect plant productivity and relative species abundances during the growing season. We examined the effects of both reduced rainfall (via rain-out shelters) and reduced snow cover (via snow removal) at 13 sites globally

Smoke is thought to be one of the most important fire cues stimulating seed germination of species from both fire-prone and fire-free ecosystems. The impact of smoke on seed germination at the community level of certain habitats in Western Asia has not been investigated yet. We aimed to analyze the effects of different smoke treatments on soil seed germination of different plant functional groups in a scrubland habitat. A soil seed bank was used to count seedling emergence following aerosol smoke (15 min or 30 min exposure) or smoke-water (1: 1000 and 1: 500, v/v) treatment. Smoke-induced germination was then separated into five functional groups (ie annual grasses, perennial grasses, annual herbs, perennial herbs, and legumes). The results

The presence of plant species together causes biotic interactions. These interactions are very complex and variable among species which facilitation and competition have the highest impact on ecosystem function. Disturbances including fire are among the environmental factors affecting the biotic interactions. This study aimed on understanding the effect of fire on biotic interactions of cushions and grassland species. Therefore, to survey the effects of fire on the biotic interaction, 30 individuals of non burned Onobrychis onobrychis Subject Category: Organism Namessee more details cornuta and also 30 individuals of burnt patches were selected. In addition, 30 paired plots for each individual was randomly established close to each patches.