Azolla: an invasive fern in wetlands (Iran)

ISBN-13: 9783330016224 / Angielski / Miękka / 2016 / 80 str.

Roghayeh Sadeghi

Opis

Exotic macrophytes (particularly aquatic ferns) are spreading exponentially in the last decade so they are serious problems to wetland ecosystems since they can replace native species. Azolla filiculoides is an exotic species in Anzali wetland, northern Iran. This book deals with analyzing the habitat suitability of the invasive fern in this unique wetlands by means of ecological modelling techniques such as classification trees (CTs) combined with two optimizers (e.g. genetic algorithms and greedy stepwise). The outcomes of models showed that physical-habitat (e.g. air temperature, humidity and depth) and chemical variables (e.g. phosphate) can affect overgrowth of Azolla in wetlands. Application of these optimizing techniques in combination with CTs thus proved to have a better capability in selecting the most important variables explaining the growth of Azolla and can be used by wetland managers in their decision-making for wetland conservation and management programs.

O autorze

Roghayeh Sadeghi has obtained her master of science in Ghent University (Belgium). She is currently working on her PhD program (exotic macrophytes) in the department of plant production, Ghent University.