| Status and Perspectives of Tree-Ring Sciences in Iran |
| Paper ID : 1013-ADA2013 |
| Authors: |
|
Achim Bräuning *1, Kambiz Pourtahmasi2 1Kochstrasse 4/4, D-91354 Erlangen 2P.O.Box 31585-1356 |
| Abstract: |
| The climate of Iran is characterized by the Westerlies that supply Iran with winter rains originating from the Mediterranean. In the north of Iran, the Caspian Sea is an additional source of moisture, bringing year-round abundant precipitation to the northern flank of the Alborz Mountains that host lush mountain forests with a high biodiversity and biomass. However, due to rainshadow effects of surrounding mountain areas and the continental position of the central Iranian plateau, vast areas of the country are arid and consist of steppe vegetation or deserts including shrubby and halophytic vegetation types. Due to the location of the country in a floristic transition zone between Europe, Asia and Africa, and resulting from the variation in topography and climate, Iran has a great variety of vegetation zones, including subtropical forests with evergreen elements, broadleaved forests, steppe forests, high mountain vegetation, deserts, and mangrove. Thus, biodiversity of woody species is very high which offers a great potential for dendroecological and wood anatomical studies. Nevertheless, dendroecology is still a relatively young discipline in Iran, but is in a state of rapid development during recent years. The paper summarizes the state of dendroecology in the country and gives examples of recent achievements made in different fields of tree-ring research, such as in ecological wood anatomy, cambial dynamics, dendrochronology, and dendroclimatology. Special emphasis is laid on the dendroecology of mountain forests covering the higher altitudes in the Alborz and Zagros Mountain ranges. These mountain forests are characterized by an altitudinal zonation of ecological forest types hosting many species of oak (Quercus spp.), beech (Fagus orientalis), and other broadleaved species, some of them being relic species of the Tertiary European forest flora. Furthermore, perspectives for further dendroecological research are outlined with a specific perspective on the different ecosystems hosting woody plant species. Special consideration will be given to extreme ecosystems like high mountain regions and deserts. |
| Keywords: |
| Iran, dendroecology, dendroclimatology, dendroarchaeology |
| Status : Abstract Accepted |
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