Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

STUDY THE EFFECTS OF EDAPHIC FACTORS ON INTRA-SPECIFIC COMPETITION FOR AMYGDALUS ORIENTALISDUH. USING FACTOR ANALYSIS

Mohsen Elahi , Moslem Akbarinia and Ebrahim Mohamadi Goltapeh

Abstract

To assess this issue in Tang Khoshk forest reserve in Semirom Esfahan, 30 circular main plots with size of 0.2 ha were randomly investigated. Four circular competition subplots were considered within each main plot and the competition between shrubs were measured by Schütz competition index. For each subplot, a sample of 0-30 and 30-80 cm soil depths were collected. Some properties of soil was measured. Factor Analysis (FA) was used to analyze data. The results showed that primarily, nitrogen, carbon and organic matter of both depths are the most important factors influencing the competition. Then, electrical conductivity and pH in second depth are important.