Study of Gypsum Ecosystems Species Adaptation in Northeastern Iran (Case study: Khorasan Razavi Province)

Bahalkeh, Khadijeh; Abedi, Mehdi; Palacio, Sara; Luzuriaga, Arantzazu L.; Escudero, Adrian

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Volume 13, Issue 26 (9-2025)

PEC 2025, 13(26): 1-12

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Study of Gypsum Ecosystems Species Adaptation in Northeastern Iran (Case study: Khorasan Razavi Province)

Khadijeh Bahalkeh¹

, Mehdi Abedi ^*

, Sara Palacio³

, Arantzazu L. Luzuriaga⁴

, Adrian Escudero⁴

1- Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Mazandaran Province, Iran
Department of Range Management, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Iran, Department of Range Management, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Iran , mehdi.abedi@modares.ac.ir
3- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Jaca, Huesca, Spain
4- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación. Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Madrid,

Abstract: (1331 Views)

Plants that grow in severe environments have special strategies for adapting to harsh conditions. Gypsum ecosystems host particular species with unique characteristics. To study the adaptations of plant in gypsum ecosystems, five critical species including Hedysarum monophyllum, Krascheninnikovia ceratoides, Prunus spinosissima, Sclerorhachis platyrachis and Thesium kotschyanum were selected in Khorasan Razavi province as the most important gypsum site in the northeast of the country, in May 2018. Five individuals were selected for each species and morphological traits were measured, including leaf area, leaf length, leaf dry weight, leaf fresh weight, specific leaf area (SLA), and leaf dry matter content (LDMC). Traits such as Al, Ca, Mg, Fe, P, Na, K, Mn, S, C, and N for each species were also measured. A Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) was used to assess significance and Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test was also applied for mean comparisons. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied for multivariate analysis. All statistical analyses were performed using R software. Our findings demonstrated that most leaf chemical traits were significant, with the exception of Na. The amount of K, Ca, and S had the lowest values (10.83±0.5, 1.91±1.2 and 3.06±0.3) in P. spinosissima and significant differences. In contrast, the amount of C was the highest (471.2±2.7) with significant differences. Additionally, the levels of Mn, Al, Mg, and Fe were significantly higher in K. ceratoides (1.39±0.12, 2.27±0.2, 7.23±0.4, and 0.22±0.02). The amount of Na had no significant differences among species. The amount of P and Cu was higher (1.61±0.39 and 0.02±0.003) in T. kotschyanum .In terms of morphological traits, all were significantly different except for leaf thickness. The K. ceratoides had the highest fresh weight (0.09±0.01), dry weight (0.05±0.03) and leaf dry matter content (64.51±4.7), S. platyrachis had a higher leaf length (2.99±0.15), and H. monophyllum had a higher leaf area (2.39±0.18) and specific area (6.38±0.91) and T.kotschyanum had a highest fresh weight (0.009±0.02). Overall, gypsophytes with S and Ca accumulations and gypsovags with P, K, C, and N accumulations in leaves will be better suited to harsh gypsum conditions. These results could be applied to the restoration and conservation of these habitats and their rare species.

Article number: 1

Keywords: Robat sefid, Elements, Gypsophytes, Functional ecology, Conservation

Full-Text [PDF 1303 kb] (642 Downloads)

Type of Study: Research | Subject: Special
Received: 2024/07/22 | Accepted: 2024/09/9 | Published: 2025/09/15

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Bahalkeh K, Abedi M, Palacio S, Luzuriaga A L, Escudero A. Study of Gypsum Ecosystems Species Adaptation in Northeastern Iran (Case study: Khorasan Razavi Province). PEC 2025; 13 (26) : 1
URL: http://pec.gonbad.ac.ir/article-1-987-en.html

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