Iranian Journal of Applied Ecology

In the current study, conservation strategies were employed for the spatial analysis of forest fragmentation and field assessment approaches in a forest landscape of Central Zagros, in the western part of Isfahan province, Iran. Vegetation and soil properties were accordingly studied in 15 forest sites with various densities including dense, semi-sparse and sparse-forests with 839.2 km². In the Landscape Function Analysis (LFA) method, 11soil surface indicators were assessed from each patch and inter-patch zones along the established transects to obtain three functional indices including soil-stability, infiltration and nutrient-cycling. In the health method, assessors rated 17 indicators to evaluate three functional attributes of  ecosystems including soil and site-stability, biotic-integrity and hydrologic-function. Land use map of the study area was produced using Landsat OLI (2016) to measure the spatial distribution of fragmentation. The results of LFA showed that the stability and nutrient-cycling indices of the dense-forest sites were 72.4 and 57.9%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in other lands (p < 0.05). According to the health results, soil surface loss, invasive plants and soil surface resistance to erosion were the most important factors influencing the health of the sites. The values of normalized fragmentation in dense-forest and sparse-forest areas were 54% and 96.3%, respectively. According to the obtained results, the combined field-based and remotely-sensed approaches applied in this research could be used to assess the functionality of Zagros forests.

Abstract
Zayandehroud is the water source for life in Central Iran, but it has become has turned into one of the most vulnerable ecosystem due to human disturbances. In this study, water quality and ecosystem health of Zayandehroud was evaluated in a segment of the river with permanent flow, from the Zayandehrud Regulating Dam to Pol-Kalleh. Water and benthic macroinvertebrate samples were collected from 11 stations during the summer of 2022. The Iranian Water Quality Index for Surface Water (IRWQISC), along with richness and diversity indices, as well as biological indices (BMWP and ASPT), were calculated. The findings revealed that the IRWQISC index categorizes water quality as moderate in most stations, with relatively good quality observed in only three stations. In contrast, the BMWP index denoted poor conditions, the ASPT index reflected severe to moderate pollution levels, and the Shannon diversity index also indicates severe to moderate pollution. The IRWQISC index was unable to accurately capture the effects of water flow interruption downstream of the Cham-Aseman diversion dam and its impact on the deterioration of water quality and overall river ecosystem health. However, the substantial decline in the richness index and biological indices at the Pol-Kalleh station highlights a significant ecological imbalance in the river ecosystem.