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<p>Understanding habitat requirements of medicinal and threatened taxa is essential for their conservation in arid regions. We examined environmental drivers shaping the distribution and phenology of four Ferula species (<i>F. persica, F. ovina, F. oopoda, F. szowitsiana</i>) across elevational and edaphic gradients in Semnan Province, Iran. Field sampling (2024–2025) included GPS-based occurrence mapping, vegetation surveys (5 × 5&#xa0;m quadrats), phenological monitoring, and composite soil analyses (0–30&#xa0;cm) at 11 sites grouped into three habitat clusters. Multivariate ordination (redundancy analysis) and univariate tests were used to link species patterns to soil texture, gypsum and carbonate content, electrical conductivity, and climatic aridity indices. The first two RDA axes explained the majority of species–environment variance, with <i>F. szowitsiana</i> strongly associated with gypsum-rich, clayey, and higher-salinity soils, while <i>F. persica and F. ovina</i> preferred loamy montane substrates with higher organic carbon and available phosphorus. Anthropogenic pressures (overgrazing, unregulated resin harvesting) coincide with reduced population density and vigor in several sites. We provide habitat-specific conservation recommendations, including priority areas for protection, grazing management, and guidelines for sustainable resin collection and ex-situ cultivation trials. These results offer a quantitative framework to support targeted conservation of Ferula under increasing climatic and human pressures.</p>

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Ecological drivers and habitat constraints of ferula in an arid Irano-Turanian landscape

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月21日

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  • F. Rabizadeh,
  • F. Bahadori

摘要

Understanding habitat requirements of medicinal and threatened taxa is essential for their conservation in arid regions. We examined environmental drivers shaping the distribution and phenology of four Ferula species (F. persica, F. ovina, F. oopoda, F. szowitsiana) across elevational and edaphic gradients in Semnan Province, Iran. Field sampling (2024–2025) included GPS-based occurrence mapping, vegetation surveys (5 × 5 m quadrats), phenological monitoring, and composite soil analyses (0–30 cm) at 11 sites grouped into three habitat clusters. Multivariate ordination (redundancy analysis) and univariate tests were used to link species patterns to soil texture, gypsum and carbonate content, electrical conductivity, and climatic aridity indices. The first two RDA axes explained the majority of species–environment variance, with F. szowitsiana strongly associated with gypsum-rich, clayey, and higher-salinity soils, while F. persica and F. ovina preferred loamy montane substrates with higher organic carbon and available phosphorus. Anthropogenic pressures (overgrazing, unregulated resin harvesting) coincide with reduced population density and vigor in several sites. We provide habitat-specific conservation recommendations, including priority areas for protection, grazing management, and guidelines for sustainable resin collection and ex-situ cultivation trials. These results offer a quantitative framework to support targeted conservation of Ferula under increasing climatic and human pressures.