The conservation status of Leucojum aestivum L. subsp. aestivum, a rare species in Iran

Document Type : Rare and Endangered Plant Species of Iran

Authors

1 Prof., Research Institute of Forest and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extention Organization (AREEO),Tehran, Iran

2 Medical Biotechnology Research Center, School of Paramedical Sciences, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

Abstract

 
The genus Leucojum L. belongs to the family Amaryllidaceae. It includes 2 species and each with 2 subspecies. Leucojum aestivum L. subsp. aestivum is a Euro-Siberian element that grows in some swamp forests in the north of Iran. In this paper, the conservation status of this taxon was determined based on the IUCN guidelines, using three criteria, including the area of occupancy, the extent of occurrence, and population size. The area of occupancy (AOO) of L. aestivum subsp. aestivum according to field studies, was measured to be 0.13 km2, and the extent of occurrence in the habitat (EOO) using GeoCAT software was determined to be 1078 km2. According to the results of this study L. aestivum subsp. aestivum is defined as a critically endangered (CR) taxon in Iran. In recent years, due to land-use changes in the plains of Gilan Province, including drying wetlands and turning them into rice fields, poplar cultivation, building, and road construction, the habitats of this plant have been destroyed and now there are small disjunct populations of it. Therefore, determining the protected habitat for this taxon is one of the conservation priorities that should be considered by the Natural Resources and Watershed Organization of Iran.
 

Keywords

References

Bachman, S., Moat, J., Hill, W., De torre., J., A. and Scott. B., 2011. Supporting Red List therat assessment tool. 2011. In: Smith V. Penev L (Eds) e- infrastructure for data publishing in biodiversity science. Zookeys, 150: 117-126.
Boissier, E., 1881. Leucojum L. in Flora orientalis vol. 5:143-144. Basileae & Genevae.
Ghahreman, A., Naqinezhad, A.R., Hamzeh’ee, B., Attar, F. and Assadi, M., 2006.The flora of threatened black alder forest in the Caspian lowlands, northern Iran. Rostaniha, 7(1): 5-30.
Jalili, A. and Jamzad, Z., 1999. Red Data Book of Iran. Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands of Iran, Tehran,784p.
Lledo, M D., Davis, A.P., Crespo, M.B., Chase, M.W. and Fay, M.F., 2004. Phylogenetic analysis of Leucojum and Galanthus (Amaryllidaceae) based on plastid matK and nuclear ribosomal spacer (ITS) DNA sequences and morphology. Plant systematics and evolution, 246: 223-243.
Parolo, G., Abeli, T., Rossi, G., Dowgiallo, G. and Matthies, D., 2011. Biological flora of Central Europe: Leucojum aestivum L. Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics, 13: 319–330.
The plant list (version 1.1), 2013. Retrived from http://www.the plantlist.org. On: 17 July 2022.
Wendelbo, P., 1970: Amaryllidaceae. In Rechinger KH (ed.), Flora Iranica 67: 1-8, Akademische Druck-und Verlagsanstalt,Graz.
Iran Nature
Volume 7, Issue 3 - Serial Number 34
July and August 2022
Pages 137-142

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics