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Title: Pilot Study for an Assessment of Vegetation Structure for Steppe Rangelands of Central Anatolia

Author
item FIRINCIOGLU, HUSEYIN - CENT RES INST-TURKEY, RET
item SAHIN, BILAL - GAZI UNIVERSITY, TURKEY
item Seefeldt, Steven
item MERT, FEHMI - GEN DIR AGR PROD DEV-TURK
item HAKYEMEZ, HAKAN - ONSEKIZ MART UNIV-TURKEY
item VURAL, MECIT - GAZI UNIVERSITY, TURKEY

Submitted to: Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/20/2008
Publication Date: 9/20/2008
Citation: Firincioglu, H.K., Sahin, B., Seefeldt, S.S., Mert, F., Hakyemez, H., Vural, M. 2008. Pilot Study for an Assessment of Vegetation Structure for Steppe Rangelands of Central Anatolia. Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry. 32(5):401-414.

Interpretive Summary: In the last fifty years, many rangelands in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey have been converted to cropping lands. This conversion has accelerated vegetation decline due to overgrazing, resulting in vegetation that is in poor condition and low in productivity. To develop a rational basis for making restoration and management decisions In these steppe rangelands, the vegetation structure must be well understood. In order to begin to understand the vegetation structure study was conducted to: (1) define vegetation patterns through assessing spatial distribution of the plant species and groups, (2) evaluate the relationships between vegetation and environmental aspects and range condition, and (3) outline possible restoration implementations. The study was carried out in Pasali village rangelands of Nevsehir Province in 2004. Thirty-seven sites in a 733 ha range area were surveyed, and a total of 78 plant species was identified. Most of the identified species were forbs (60%), followed by grasses (11%) and shrubs (7%). The major range species were Thymus sipyleus (7.2%), Festuca valesiaca (6.9%) and Bromus tomentellus (6.4%). Range condition scores fell between 1.20 to 3.40, representing very poor to poor condition. Bromus tomentellus cover was determined to be an important perennial grass species that can pave the way for rangeland vegetation improvement. Our classification result displayed several groups of species and these groups were more associated with grazing intensity than differences in environmental conditions, such as soil pH, or nutrients. We hypothesize that to increase the proportion of desirable species in this overgrazed rangeland, the implementation of deferment grazing, especially until after seed set, should be essential.

Technical Abstract: In the last fifty years, rangelands in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey have been converted to cropping lands, which has negatively accelerated vegetation change, resulting in overgrazing, poor condition and productivity. In these steppe rangelands, to develop a rational basis for making restoration and management decisions, the vegetation structure must be well understood. Thus, the objectives of this study were to: (1) define vegetation patterns through assessing spatial distribution of the plant species and groups, (2) evaluate the relationships between vegetation and environmental aspects and range condition, and (3) outline possible restoration implementations. Therefore, a study was carried out in Pasali village rangelands of Nevsehir Province in 2004. The 37 sites in a 733 ha range area were surveyed, and a total of 78 plant species was identified. Most of the identified species were forbs (60), followed by grasses (11) and shrubs (7). The major range species were Thymus sipyleus (7.2%), Festuca valesiaca (6.9%) and Bromus tomentellus (6.4%). Range condition scores fell between 1.20 to 3.40, representing very poor to poor condition. The positive relation of Bromus tomentellus cover, as an enviable perennial grass, with the range condition score (P < 0.001) can pave the way for the condition improvement. Our classification result displayed several groups of species, although there were not many environmental differences, indicating that the groupings are most likely to have occurred due to spatially-varying grazing intensity. In order to increase the proportion of desirable species in this overgrazed rangeland, the implementation of deferment grazing, especially until after seed set, should be essential.