abstract. the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of topographical factors on the classification of grassland plant communities in the rangelands of ghorkhud, northern khorasan province, iran. for sampling, land units were specified. a floristic list was prepared using minimal area method based on the nested plot (braun-blanquet method). 116 10m2 furrows were selected. within e...

• Communities are located within a larger species pool of potential colonists. The study of community assembly considers the mechanisms by which local communities are formed from the species pool. • Dispersal from the species pool, abiotic tolerance of colonists, and biotic interactions can all influence membership in local communities. • Phenotypic similarities and differences of co-occurring ...

Over half of the southern landscape is forested, but nearly all of the land has been modified considerably, especially during the centuries following European settlement (See history chapters). Such extensive changes in the southern landscape have contributed to the threatened status of many plant and animal species that are now protected under the Endangered Species Act. Additionally these cha...

Plant species, plant community diversity and microbial interactions can significantly impact soil microbial communities, yet there are few data on the interactive effects of plant species and plant community diversity on soil bacterial communities. We hypothesized that plant species and plant community diversity affect soil bacterial communities by setting the context in which bacterial interac...