IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i16p9381-d618717.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Substrate Preferences of Ruderal Plants in Colonizing Stone Monuments of the Pasargadae World Heritage Site, Iran

Author

Listed:
  • Zohreh Hosseini

    (Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, 00146 Rome, Italy)

  • Giulio Zangari

    (Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, 00146 Rome, Italy)

  • Marta Carboni

    (Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, 00146 Rome, Italy)

  • Giulia Caneva

    (Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, 00146 Rome, Italy)

Abstract

Plant colonization on archaeological structures is limited by the substrate conditions of stone surfaces. Despite its relevance for ecological studies and the management plans of archaeological sites, the knowledge on monuments substrate (e.g., stones, microhabitats, microsites), which could be suitable sites for plant establishment, is an underestimated topic. Here, we aim to identify the substrate preference of plants in colonizing stone surfaces as a first step in evaluating the biodeterioration risk. We selected the Pasargadae World Heritage Site (WHS) for its variety of different conditions, and we assessed the substrate preference of 142 ruderal plants occurring on nine monuments, two types of stones, and eight microsites. Our data indicated that stone typology and microsite conditions affected species composition, diversity, and richness. The porosity of the different limestone and the progressive weathering phenomena resulted as relevant factors in plant colonization. Significantly, microsites as a junction of two stone blocks (M1a) and big fractures covered by soil (M3) hosted the most favorable conditions, which needed periodic monitoring during the maintenance activities of the site. Evaluating the substrate preference of ruderal plants can contribute to the identification of the high-risk areas for plant colonization, which need to be considered in the management plans of archaeological sites.

Suggested Citation

  • Zohreh Hosseini & Giulio Zangari & Marta Carboni & Giulia Caneva, 2021. "Substrate Preferences of Ruderal Plants in Colonizing Stone Monuments of the Pasargadae World Heritage Site, Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-15, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:16:p:9381-:d:618717
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/9381/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/9381/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:16:p:9381-:d:618717. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.