Investigation of Plant Species along the Altitudinal Gradient in the Dalfard Region, Kerman Province (Iran)

Abstract

Vegetation study is one of the pillars of land planning in any region, and the identification of plants is the basis of these studies. The purpose of the present study is to introduce the flora, life form, and chorotype of plants, and to investigate the effect of altitudinal gradient on the species diversity of the Dalfard region in the north of Jiroft city, Kerman. According to the altitude range of Dalfard, the flora of the region was collected and identified in three altitudinal zones during the spring and summer seasons of 2021 and 2022. A total of 303 plant species belonging to 217 genera and 71 families were identified. The most important plant families in the region in terms of species richness were Asteraceae (36), Fabaceae (25), Poaceae (25), Lamiaceae (20), and Apiaceae (16). Hemicryptophytes (30.7%) and therophytes (25.1%) were the dominant life forms in the region, respectively. A considerable number of species (40.9%) belonged to the Irano-Turanian region and other species to two, three, or more regions. The highest number of species (221) was observed in the altitudinal zone Z3 (2300-3100 m) and the lowest number of species (41) in the altitudinal zone Z1 (850-1400 m). The highest species similarity was determined between altitudinal zones Z2 and Z3 (37%) and the lowest similarity between three altitudinal zones (2.6%) based on the Jaccard index.