The regeneration, plant diversity, and change of soil properties are the determining factors affecting the stability of natural forests. Road construction activities are considered among the most important contributing factors. This study was conducted to see if road construction has positive or negative effects on plant diversity, soil physicochemical properties, and tree regeneration in arid woodlands and fulfill the lack of information about road construction in arid woodlands. For this purpose, two roads were selected in the arid woodlands of Bushehr Province, Iran. Twenty-four sampling plots with an area of 200 square meters were selected on the RE and in the forest interior around the studied roads. Plant species diversity, soil physiochemical properties, and tree regeneration were determined in the studied plots. Our result indicated 49 plant species belonging to 20 families in the studied sites. RE plots represented 37 species while plots in the forest interior represented 40 species. Ficus johannis, Ziziphus spina-christ, Eryngium billardieri, Astragalus fasciculifolius, Medicago rigidula, Vicia peregrine, and Peganum harmala appeared only in the plots located at the RE. But Dicyclophora persica, Convolvulus acanthocladus, Capparis parviflora, Pulicaria aucheri, Senecio sp., Phlomis olivieri, Teucrium polium, Ziziphora tenuior, Salvia sp., Haplophyllum canaliculatum, Fumaria parviflora, and Scabiosa olivieri appeared only in the forest interior plots. Although no significant differences were observed for richness between the RE and forest interior plots, Shannon–Wiener diversity indices revealed significant differences between the studied groups. Therefore, the composition of the plant species was not the same in the RE and forest interior plots. M. rigidula and V. peregrine as nitrogen-fixating and palatable plant species appeared in the RE plots but not in the interior plots. Moreover, medicinal plants like D. persica and C. acanthocladus, P. aucheri, H. canaliculatum, and P. olivieri were recorded in the interior plots. Besides, the tree regeneration and soil nutrients were significantly higher in the RE plots compared to the interior plots. Overall, road construction in arid woodlands results in plant and soil community changes. Nitrogen-fixing species appeared by providing unfavorable environmental conditions for livestock grazing at the RE. Therefore, soil nitrogen and organic matter increased, and consequently, tree regeneration increased in the RE plots. In contrast, medicinal plants appeared in the interior plots, where grazing pressure was higher than in the RE plots. Medicinal plants probably produce some chemical components unfavorable for livestock grazing.

中文翻译：

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道路建设对干旱林地的植被生物多样性和树木再生有有益影响吗？

更新、植物多样性和土壤性质的变化是影响天然林稳定性的决定因素。道路建设活动被认为是最重要的影响因素之一。本研究旨在探讨道路建设对干旱林地植物多样性、土壤理化性质和树木更新是否产生积极或消极影响，并弥补干旱林地道路建设信息的缺乏。为此，在伊朗布什尔省的干旱林地中选择了两条道路。在RE和研究道路周围的森林内部选择了24个面积为200平方米的样地。在研究的样地中确定了植物物种多样性、土壤理化性质和树木再生。我们的结果表明，研究地点有属于 20 个科的 49 种植物。 RE 地块代表 37 个物种，而森林内部地块代表 40 个物种。Ficus johannis、Ziziphus spina-christ、Eryngium billardieri、Astragalus fasciculifolius、Medicagorigidula、Vicia peregrine和Peganumharmala仅出现在位于 RE 的地块中。但Dicyclophora persica、Convolvulus acanthocladus、Capparis parviflora、Pulicaria aucheri、Senecio sp.、Phlomis olivieri、Teucrium polium、Ziziphora tenuior、Salvia sp.、Haplophyllum canaliculatum、Fumaria parviflora和Scabiosa olivieri仅出现在森林内部地块中。尽管在可再生能源和森林内部图之间的丰富度没有观察到显着差异，但香农-维纳多样性指数揭示了研究组之间的显着差异。因此，RE 和森林内部样地的植物物种组成并不相同。M.rigidula 和 V.peregrine作为固氮和适口植物物种出现在 RE 地块中，但没有出现在内部地块中。此外，药用植物如D. persica和C. acanthocladus、P. aucheri、H. canaliculatum和P. olivieri被记录在内部地块中。此外，与内部地块相比，RE 地块的树木再生和土壤养分显着更高。总体而言，干旱林地的道路建设导致植物和土壤群落的变化。固氮物种的出现是由于为稀土区的牲畜放牧提供了不利的环境条件。因此，土壤氮和有机质增加，从而增加了可再生能源地块的树木再生。相比之下，药用植物出现在放牧压力高于 RE 地块的内陆地块中。药用植物可能会产生一些不利于牲畜放牧的化学成分。