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Biodiversity and phytogeography of the alpine flora of Iran

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Abstract

Iran is a mountainous country. Zagros and Alborz mountains reach altitudes of more than 4,000 m. Alpine regions are above timber-line, which is not easy to recognize, since aridity is prominent in most regions. The alpine zone in Alborz lies between 3,000 and 4,000 m, the nival zone is above 4,000 m, locally varying by some hundred meters. A first evaluation of vascular flora shows that 682 species belonging to 193 genera and 39 families are known from the alpine zone of Iran. The alpine zone is commonly characterized by many species of hemicryptophytes and thorny cushions. Species numbers decline very strongly with increasing altitude. In this paper biogeographical patterns of the alpine flora of Iran have been discussed and distribution maps of 44 species are illustrated. New data indicate a transitional situation of the Iranian mountains between Anatolia/Caucasus and the Hindu Kush, but with a strong own element with high endemism and remarkable relict species. Ca. 58% of the alpine flora of Iran are endemic and subendemic. The Zagros Mountains harbor high endemism which justify considering this area as a separate floristic province. Based on the evaluation of published data from 682 known alpine species ca. 160 species have been known only by one record, 110 species by 2–3 records and 87 endemic species have been known only based on the type location. These plants need a strong conservation and protection management since the fragile ecosystems are often very restricted, small and very isolated, nonetheless grazing and overgrazing are still common threats.

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Acknowledgements

This paper was supported partly by the research projects “Geobotanical studies in different parts of Iran I-III” (No. 6104037/1/01), Research Council University of Tehran and Center of International Research and Collaboration (ISMO) for the first and second authors. Parts of this paper have been presented as a poster during XVII International Botanical Congress (Vienna, 2005). Dr. Sh. Zarre, University of Tehran, is acknowledged for the kind permission to use his data on genus Astragalus. A Schimper-Fellowhip (1977 for last author) for studies in the Turan Area and the Northern mountains is greatly acknowledged, as well as a DAAD fellowship for Pamir-Excursion (2002) and grants from the Ministry of Environment, Tajikistan.

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  1. Department of Plant Sciences, School of Biology, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 14155-6455, Tehran, Iran

    Jalil Noroozi & Hossein Akhani

  2. Department of Ecology, University of Bielefeld, Wasserfuhr 24-26, 33619, Bielefeld, Germany

    Siegmar-W. Breckle

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  1. Jalil Noroozi
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Correspondence to Hossein Akhani.

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Noroozi, J., Akhani, H. & Breckle, SW. Biodiversity and phytogeography of the alpine flora of Iran. Biodivers Conserv 17, 493–521 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-007-9246-7

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