Abstract
In this study, we aim to evaluate the diversity of vascular plants and lichens coexisting in Artemisia sieberi dominated landscapes of northern Iran. Specifically, we wanted to unveil to what extent Artemisia plant cover and soil features affected species diversity and composition of annuals and lichens growing beneath them, and if annual plants and lichen species were associated at fine spatial scales. The study area was located in Artemisia steppes in North-Eastern Iran. Therefore, four localities dominated by Artemisia sieberi in Golestan National Park and Alagol wetland were selected. We quantified plant and lichen species cover in 5 plots in each location, including 25 subplots and five soil samples to characterize edaphic heterogeneity. Data were analyzed using GLM, NMDS, PERMANOVA, and Mantel Tests. We recorded 19 lichen species, three moss species, and 21 annual plant species in the four localities. Alagol and Alikhani had the most similar lichen compositions and Almeh showed great differences with other sites. However, Bagh and Almeh had the most similar and the most different annual species composition comparing the rest locations, respectively. Location explained 50% and 30% of the variance in lichens and annuals species composition, respectively. Soil chemical properties had no significant influences on lichens and annuals parameters except for Mg content in lichen evenness and clay content on total plant cover. We found a highly significant relationship between the lichen composition and annual plant species composition on fine scale (Mantel r: 0.13; p = 0.0003). The cover of Artemisia explained significant but tiny fractions of lichen species composition (1%) and annual plant species composition (2%) at subplot level. Artemisia steppes of northeastern Iran are not homogeneous habitats and shelter high diversity in lichen and annual plant species. Site location conditions may explain the differences among lichens and annuals compositions.
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