Long-term vegetation dynamics along altitudinal and longitudinal gradients in the Hyrcanian forest region (northern Iran) and the role of climate, sea level change, fire and anthropogenic impacts during the late Quaternary

伊朗的Hyrcanian森林位于Alborz和Talysh山脉北方斜坡上的820 km长的狭窄地带，占伊朗面积的6%。这条小带拥有3234种植物，包括ca。500种特有植物，占植物多样性的44%。沿着北方安纳托利亚的森林，Hyrcanian森林构成了最重要的避难所，也是第四纪前覆盖北方半球温带的阔叶落叶林的最后遗迹。该地区拥有许多北极第三纪和印度-马来西亚植物群的遗迹，被认为是具有全球重要性的生物多样性中心。今天，原始植被分布在从海岸到Alborz和Talysh高地的垂直地带。由于该地区北部受里海（CS）和南部高地的限制，由于温度波动和降雨状况的变化以及CS海平面的变化，在空间和时间上，上层森林线和沿海植被分别发生了明显的变化。此外，在过去的几个世纪里，人类的力量已经广泛地改变了植被。在这种多变的环境条件下，调查Hyrcanian环境历史，包括植被，植物多样性，气候，火灾，人类影响和海平面变化至关重要。到目前为止，只有少数的古生态记录报道，从Hyrcanian地区。吉兰省是研究最少的省份，具有高度重要性，因为：吉兰地区有着广泛的森林和湿地，是进行古生态学研究的合适地区，吉兰地区是连接南海南部海岸与欧亚大陆西部的走廊，其植被历史可以为欧亚大陆西部温带落叶林的避难所假说提供新的见解，iii）吉兰是Hyrcanian诸省中最潮湿的省份，其古生态学允许在过去的东西降水梯度上进行比较，iv）吉兰是伊朗已知最古老的人类住区的所在地，v）拥有最大的沿海河流森林遗迹。该项目将对沉积物芯进行创新性的多代用指标研究（花粉、孢子、木炭、地球化学分析等），并对海拔梯度进行创新性的现代花粉雨研究（DNA元条形码），以调查吉兰的环境历史。此外，东部和西部Hyrcanian地区的环境历史之间的比较将是可能的。这项研究还将为保护和管理这一生物多样性中心提供背景资料，其结果对自然保护、森林和牧场管理、农业、考古学和可持续发展等领域具有重要意义。

The Hyrcanian forests of Iran occurs in a 820 km long narrow belt on the northern slopes of Alborz and Talysh Mountains and occupies 6% of the area in Iran. This small belt hosts 3234 plant species including ca. 500 endemic plants and accounts for 44% of plant diversity. Along with the forests of northern Anatolia, Hyrcanian forests constitute the most important refugia and the last relicts of broad-leaved deciduous forests that covered the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere before the Quaternary. Hosting many remnants of the Arcto-Tertiary and Indo-Malaysian flora, the area is considered as a centre of biodiversity with global importance. Today, the original vegetation is distributed in altitudinal zones from the coast to the Alborz and Talysh highlands. Since the area is restricted by the Caspian Sea (CS) to the north and highlands to the south, the upper forest line and coastal vegetation have been subjected to pronounced changes due to temperature fluctuations and changes in the rainfall regime and CS sea level changes respectively, in space and time. In addition, anthropogenic forces have extensively modified the vegetation in the last centuries. Occurring in such changeable environmental conditions, investigating the Hyrcanian environmental history including vegetation, plant diversity, climate, fire, human impact and sea level change are of crucial importance. So far only a few palaeoecological records are reported from the Hyrcanian region. The Gilan province is the least studied province and is of high importance because: i) Gilan with extensive forests and wetlands is an appropriate area to carry out palaeoecological studies, ii) Gilan is the corridor that connects the isolated southern coast of the CS to western Eurasia and its vegetation history can provide new insights into the refugium hypothesis for the west Eurasian temperate deciduous forest, iii) Gilan is the wettest among the Hyrcanian provinces and its palaeoecology allow the comparison on an east-western precipitation gradient during the past, iv) Gilan is home of the most ancient known human settlements in Iran and v) has the largest remnant of coastal fluvial forest. This project will apply innovative multi-proxy studies (pollen, spores, charcoal, geochemical analysis, and others) of sediment cores and innovative (DNA meta-barcoding) modern pollen rain study on altitudinal gradients to investigate the environmental history of Gilan. Furthermore, a comparison between environmental history of eastern and western Hyrcanian region will be possible. This study will also provide background information for conservation and management of this centre of biodiversity and the results are of high importance for such as nature conservation, forest and rangeland management, agriculture, archaeology and sustainable development.