INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY: Dr. Jamileh Panahy Mirzahasanlou
In this news feature we share the work of diatomists in Iran. The International Society of Diatom Research wants to know about the work in your country. Please contact us to add to our series.
Dr. Jamileh Panahy Mirzahasanlou, Assistant Professor, is a member of a productive laboratory at Gonbad Kavous University.
Her group investigates diatom distribution and ecology in Golestan Province, in Northeast Iran. She and her students and colleagues work to document the diatom flora of the province, investigate the relationship between diatom assemblages and water quality parameters, and examine the distribution of diatoms along the salinity gradient in rivers that discharge to the Caspian Sea.
For those not familiar with the region, the Golestan Province is located in northeastern Iran. The province is east of the Caspian Sea, bordered to the north by Turkmenistan, to the southeast by Semnan Province and to the southwest by the amazing Shahroud forest. This forest is considered a geological relic, at 40 million years old. Each day near the time of sunset, clouds swiftly surround the woodland, known as Jangale-e Abr (Cloud Forest). The region is an ecotone and it marks the boundary between semi-desert and wooded environments. Not only has it influenced plant and animal species, but in the woods of the area, coniferous trees coexist alongside broad-leaved trees, making it an important biotic region.
Because of Golestan province’s physiographic complexity, the area is home to a wide range of aquatic ecosystems, including wetlands, rivers, streams, springs, and waterfalls. As altitude increases from the plains near the Caspian to the highlands in the east, Golestan province is impacted by humid, temperate weather in the west to dry, cold weather in the east.
Golestan Province is one of the regions that had not been investigated for diatom diversity prior to the laboratory’s investigations in 2016. In general, there are not many diatom research projects carried out in Iran, but interest in these projects is growing.
Dr. Mirzahasanlou’s collaborators include:
Mojtaba Ghara Mahmoudloo: Associate Professor, Gonbad Kavous University
Arsalan Bahalkeh: PhD student, Gonad Kavous University
Hanieh Yousefiy: MSc Student, Gonad Kavous University
Tina Qarebesloum: MSc Student, Gonbad Kavous University
Mostafa Koose Gharavi: MSc Student, Gonbad Kavous University
Latifeh Ahmadi Musaabad: MSc Student, Gonbad Kavous University
Abdulkarim Aghatabay: MSc Student, Gonbad Kavous University
Publications:
Panahy Mirzahasanlou, J., Heshmatpour, A., Nikjoui, M., Bahalkeh, A., Hoseyni, S.A. 2024. Epilithic diatom distribution in four tributaries of Gorganrud River (NE Iran). Fundamental and Applied Limnology, 197/2:103-115.
Panahy Mirzahasanlou, J., Ahmadi Musaabad, L., G.Mahoodlu, M., Bahalkeh, A. 2021. An ecological and hydrochemical study of three springs in NE Iran with the emphasis on diatom diversity. Limnologica, 90: 1-9. Panahy Mirzahasanlou, J., Qarebesloum, T., Farasati, M., and Bahalkeh, A. 2020. Epilithic diatom diversity in Golestan Waterfall. Journal of Phycological Research, 4(2): 582-595.
Ahmadi Musaabad, L., Panahy Mirzahasanlou, J. G.Mahoodlu, M., Bahalkeh, A. 2019. Diatom flora in three Springs of Golestan Province. Journal of Phycological Research, 3(2): 432-442.
AgAtabay, A., Panahy Mirzahasanlou, J., Rostami Charati, F., Akbari, R. 2021. Biodiversity of Diatoms in Khormarud River, Golestan Province. Journal of Natural Environment, 73(4): 625-636. (In Persian with English abstract).
Contact information:
Jamileh_panahy@Yahoo.com, panahi@gonbad.ac.ir