Document Type : Original Manuscript
Authors
1 Department of forest science, faculty of natural resources and earth sciences, Shahrekord university, Shahrekord, Iran.
2 Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran
Abstract
This study investigates changes in the integration status of mangroves of Hara Biosphere Reserve in the face of changes of rainfall and drought occurrences over a 31-year period (1986-2017). For this purpose, the 31-year time series of satellite images and precipitation data were used and the values of the number of patches (NP) and the largest patch index (LPI) as well as the SPI valueswere obtained during the period. The results of the change in the number of patches and the largest patch index with the change in the pre1998 (wet period) and post-1998 (dry period) showed that with increasing SPI values (positive values) in the pre-1998 period (wet season), the number of patches and the index of largest patch decreased and in the post-1998 (drought period) the negative SPI values increased the number of patches and the index of the largest In fact, the results showed an increase in the size of the main cores and large vegetative patches (increased structural integrity) of the Reservoir during the wet season and its reverse trend during the drought period. According to the principles of landscape ecology, an increase in the number of patches and in the index value of the largest patch (due to a decrease in the total area of the habitat) in the post-1998 period indicates the destruction of this habitat in recent years. The results of this study are of value to assess the vulnerability of these habitats to the consequences of climate change.
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