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Evaluation of suitable habitats for the medicinal species Barije (Ferula gummosa Boiss) in the Taleghan watershed using maximum entropy and geostatistical analysis
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Mojtaba Akhavan Armaki *   , Melika Hashemi , Peyman Bashirzad |
| , mtakhavan@ut.ac.ir |
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Abstract: (8 Views) |
This study was conducted in the middle watershed of Taleghan (Alborz province) in 2019-2020 with the aim of modeling the potential habitat of the medicinal species Barije (F.gummosa) and determining the most important environmental factors affecting its distribution, using the maximum entropy (Maxent) model. Data on the presence of the species were obtained through field visits and vegetation collection in 240 sampling plots, and environmental data including altitude above sea level, slope, geographical orientation, electrical conductivity, organic matter, percentage of soil clay, lime, and gravel were extracted from soil sampling and topographic maps. Continuous maps of soil variables were produced using the geostatistical (kriging) method in ArcGIS and prepared in ASCII format for the Maxent model. The results showed that this model has very high accuracy with an AUC index of 0.844 and a kappa coefficient of 0.87. Based on the Jackknife test, the variables of altitude above sea level, slope direction, organic matter, and soil clay percentage had the greatest effect on the probability of the presence of this species. The response curves of the species presence showed that the barrage mainly grows favorably in mid-altitudes, southern slopes, semi-heavy soils with 20 to 25 percent clay and 1 to 2 percent organic matter, while increasing salinity (EC > 0.5 dS/m) reduces the probability of the species presence. The final habitat prediction map showed that about 28 percent of the area is suitable for the establishment of the barrage, and the southern and southwestern parts of Taleghan have the highest habitat potential. The results of this study, while confirming the effectiveness of the Maxent model in predicting medicinal habitats, provide a valuable scientific basis for the restoration of natural habitats, the development of semi-industrial cultivation, and the sustainable management of the exploitation of natural resources in the region.
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Article number: 10 |
| Keywords: Maxent model, potential habitat, Taleghan watershed, ecological modeling. |
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Full-Text [PDF 1242 kb]
(7 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/11/29 | Accepted: 2026/02/24 | Published: 2026/09/17
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