Successional Trajectories and Niche Partitioning of Vegetation in Abandoned Agricultural Lands of a Semi‐Arid Forest
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19236115 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mehdi Heydari (0000-0002-9009-6397, Department of Forest Science, Faculty of Agriculture Ilam University Ilam Iran, corresponding author), Sina Attar Roshan (0000-0002-7087-6441, Department of Environment Ahv.C., Islamic Ahvaz University Ahvaz Iran), Reza Omidipour (0000-0003-0961-5258, Department of Range and Watershed Management, Faculty of Agriculture Ilam University Ilam Iran), Pedro Manuel Villa (0000-0003-4826-3187, Graduate Program in Botany Feira de Santana State University Feira de Santana Brazil), Bernard Prévosto (INRAE, Aix‐Marseille Univ., UMR RECOVER Aix‐en‐Provence France) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pages | 5207-5221 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Land Degradation and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1085-3278 • E-ISSN: 1099-145X |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/ldr.70446 |
| OpenAlex | W7127346772 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 97 |
Land abandonment in semi‐arid regions represents a critical environmental challenge, significantly impacting ecosystem structure and function. This study investigated vegetation dynamics along a successional gradient in the Zagros forests of western Iran, following the abandonment of agricultural lands. Here, we sampled 96 plots across four successional stages: recently abandoned fields (3–4 years after abandonment, RAA), short‐term abandonment (10 years, SAA), long‐term abandonment (25 years, LAA), and mature forest (FOR). We analyzed species richness, diversity, composition, and applied niche apportionment models to assess species abundance distributions across four successional stages. Results revealed a clear successional trajectory with increasing species richness and diversity, particularly in later stages. This was evidenced by the number of indicator species, which increased from only 1 in SAA to 66 in FOR. Plant community composition differed significantly among stages, with greater similarity observed between LAA and FOR. Early successional stages exhibited higher compositional heterogeneity, whereas later stages displayed increased homogeneity, suggesting increased community stability. For herbaceous species, abundance distributions were best described by the Dominance Pre‐emption model, reflecting the competitive advantage for early‐arriving species. In contrast, the abundance distributions of woody species in later stages aligned with the Dominance Decay model, indicating increased niche differentiation and reduced dominance. These findings underscore the importance of temporal progression and competitive interactions in shaping successional trajectories. The study highlights the slow and complex nature of ecosystem recovery in semi‐arid regions, emphasizing the need for long‐term ecological monitoring and adaptive management strategies to support the restoration of degraded landscapes
Ecological succession · Ecosystem · Niche · Niche differentiation · Secondary succession · Species richness · Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies · Ecosystem dynamics and resilience · Species Distribution and Climate Change
The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collections
Restoring Abandoned Farmland to Mitigate Climate Change on a Full Earth
Land-use change in the Zagros forests and its impact on soil carbon sequestration
What is the future of abandoned agricultural lands? A systematic review of alternative trajectories in Europe
Effects of preservation policy on land use changes in Iranian Northern Zagros forests
| Highly cited | No |
|---|