Wind erosion is one of the results of desertification and is among the natural processes that mostly occur under dry conditions and high wind velocity. Using oil-mulches is one of the common methods to stabilize sand dunes. The current study aimed to investigate the short-term effects of oil-mulch on vegetation attributes (i.e., cover and diversity) and rangeland condition score (RCS) using integrated ecological and remote sensing-based approaches in arid regions in southwestern Iran. A vegetation survey was carried out in 2019 in the oil-mulched and control area, and a remotely sensed vegetation index (MSAVI) was calculated for 2017 and 2019. The results indicate that 1 year after treatment, compared to the control area, vegetation cover (30 ± 17.11 vs. 17 ± 5.44%) and litter (4.6 ± 2.18 vs. 0.94 ± 1.55%) increased significantly in the oil-mulched area, while bare soil (65.20 ± 17.34 vs. 82.31 ± 5.84%) decreased. Further, diversity indices (species evenness, Shannon, and Simpson indices) declined by applying oil-mulch (88%, 63%, and 71%, respectively). The RCS was significantly higher in the oil-mulched area than in the control area (22 ± 1.86 vs. 12 ± 0.88; p < 0.001). Comparing MSAVI between 2017 and 2019 showed that vegetation cover increased 44.8%. Based on the results, it can be suggested that planting native palatable species in an oil-mulched area with the exclusion of livestock grazing is likely to increase the benefits of oil-mulch treatment and will lead to better rangeland condition score.

中文翻译：

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油膜对植被动态的短期影响；基于生态和遥感的方法的整合

风蚀是荒漠化的结果之一，是主要发生在干燥条件和高风速条件下的自然过程之一。使用油膜是稳定沙丘的常用方法之一。目前的研究旨在使用基于生态和遥感的综合方法在伊朗西南部干旱地区调查油膜对植被属性（即覆盖和多样性）和牧场状况评分（RCS）的短期影响。2019年在油膜和对照区进行了植被调查，计算了2017年和2019年的遥感植被指数（MSAVI）。结果表明，处理1年后，与对照区相比，植被覆盖(30 ± 17.11 vs. 17 ± 5.44%) 和垫料 (4.6 ± 2.18 vs. 0.94 ± 1. 55%）在油膜覆盖区显着增加，而裸土（65.20 ± 17.34 vs. 82.31 ± 5.84%）下降。此外，多样性指数（物种均匀度、香农指数和辛普森指数）因应用油膜而下降（分别为 88%、63% 和 71%）。油膜覆盖区的 RCS 显着高于对照区（22 ± 1.86 vs. 12 ± 0.88；p  < 0.001)。比较 2017 年和 2019 年的 MSAVI 表明，植被覆盖率增加了 44.8%。根据结果​​，可以建议在不包括牲畜放牧的油膜地区种植本地可口物种可能会增加油膜处理的效益，并会导致更好的牧场条件评分。