rangelands are one of the most vulnerable parts concerning the climatechanges‟ impacts. these impacts are even stronger in the arid and semi-arid areas whererangeland ecosystems are in critical conditions. therefore, it is crucial to figure out theactual dynamics of climate variations on the rangelands. the aim of this research was todetermine climate changes in khabr rangeland, kerman, iran. s...

Rangelands are one of the most vulnerable parts concerning the climatechanges‟ impacts. These impacts are even stronger in the arid and semi-arid areas whererangeland ecosystems are in critical conditions. Therefore, it is crucial to figure out theactual dynamics of climate variations on the rangelands. The aim of this research was todetermine climate changes in Khabr rangeland, Kerman, Iran. S...

in arid and semi-arid rangelands, grazing as one of the natural or human induced processes has direct and indirect effects on structure and dynamics of plant community and ecosystems. a study was done to analyze the effects of grazing on plant species diversity and plant functional types‘ (pfts) diversity of arid and semi-arid rangelands. we analyzed plant richness and diversity data from 75 sa...

Sequence data from four gene regions (nrDNA, petN-psbM, trnD-trnT, trnS-trnG, 3,705 bp) revealed that junipers from the southern mountain ranges of Iran are very diverse. The combined NJ tree (3,705 bp) showed strong support for the distinct nature of J. excelsa, J. polycarpos, J. p. var. turcomanica, and J. p. var. seravschanica. The samples from NW Iran are J. polycarpos and samples from NE I...

Livestock grazing potentially has substantial influence on fuel characteristics in rangelands around the globe. However, information quantifying the impacts of grazing on rangeland fuel characteristics is limited, and the effects of grazing on fuels are important because fuel characteristics are one of the primary factors determining risk, severity, continuity, and size of wildfires. We investi...

Rangelands are expansive, unimproved lands located in arid or semi–arid regions, spanning a variety of landscapes including savannahs, high and low altitude deserts, mountain meadows, and tundra. Rangelands are generally unsuitable for crop production due to aridity, topography, and extreme temperatures. Rangelands support varying mixtures of native and nonnative grasses, grass–like plants, for...

In arid and semi-arid rangelands, grazing as one of the natural or human induced processes has direct and indirect effects on structure and dynamics of plant community and ecosystems. A study was done to analyze the effects of grazing on plant species diversity and Plant Functional Types‘ (PFTs) diversity of arid and semi-arid rangelands. We analyzed plant richness and diversity data from 75 sa...

Rangelands are uncultivated lands that include grasslands, savannahs, steppes, shrub lands, deserts and tundra. The native vegetation on rangelands is predominantly grasses, forbs and shrubs (Kothmann, 1974). Rangelands cover 31 percent of the land surface area of the United States (Havstad et al., 2009), and up to half of the land surface area worldwide (Lund, 2007). Most land areas that are n...

Models that seek to guide decisions on policy in rangelands must address the close links between ecological, economic, and social processes, and the adaptation of participants through time. We used an agent-based modeling approach to implement a parsimonious conceptual model of rangelands that includes biophysical processes central to the functioning of rangelands, commercial enterprises, and i...

To reduce dependence on foreign oil reserves, there has been a push in North America to develop alternative domestic energy resources. Relatively undeveloped renewable energy resources include biofuels and wind and solar energy, many of which occur predominantly on rangelands. Rangelands are also key areas for natural gas development from shales and tight sand formations. Accordingly, policies ...