animal biosystematic
Masoud Yousefi; Seyyed Saeed Hosseinian Yousefkhani; Anooshe Kafash; Mahdi Rajabizadeh; mohammad moradpour; Eskandar Rastegar Pouyani
Abstract
Background: Snakebite is a global health problem and important conservation challenge. Knowing where snakebite risk is highest can help snakebite management. But climate change is altering snakebite risk pattern making its management more difficult and complicated.
Methods: In this study we used Echis ...
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Background: Snakebite is a global health problem and important conservation challenge. Knowing where snakebite risk is highest can help snakebite management. But climate change is altering snakebite risk pattern making its management more difficult and complicated.
Methods: In this study we used Echis carinatus’ habitat suitability as an indicator of snakebite risk, under current and future climatic conditions. We applied an ensemble of five distribution modelling methods (Generalized linear models (GLMs), Generalized additive models (GAMs), Generalized boosted models (GBMs), Maximum entropy modelling (Maxent) and Random Forest (RF)) to model the species habitat suitability. In addition, we identified villages that are at risk of envenoming form the species under current and future climate.
Results: Results showed that the species suitable habitat will increase under climate change as consequence number of villages at risk will increase from 70247 to 82881 putting more human population at risk of envenoming.
Conclusion: High snakebite risk areas identified in this study are high priority target areas for awareness raising program and antivenom distribution. This study demonstrates usefulness of habitat suitability modeling in identifying high snakebite risk area in Iran.
Masoud Yousefi; Farhad Ataei; Anooshe Kafash; Hamid Reza Rezaei
Volume 6, Issue 3 , March 2018, , Pages 117-126
Abstract
Abstract Alborz province with area about 5833 km2 located in west of Tehran province. In a long term study of the lizards in this province which lasted 2 years (2015-2016), 13 species of lizards, Paralaudakia caucasia, Trapelus agilis, Phrynocephalus persicus, Darevskia defilippi, Lacerta strigata, Eremias ...
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Abstract Alborz province with area about 5833 km2 located in west of Tehran province. In a long term study of the lizards in this province which lasted 2 years (2015-2016), 13 species of lizards, Paralaudakia caucasia, Trapelus agilis, Phrynocephalus persicus, Darevskia defilippi, Lacerta strigata, Eremias persica, Eremias fasciata, Eremias papenfussi, Ophisops elegans, Mesalina watsonana, Bunopus crassicaudus, Ablepharus bivittatus and Eumeces schneideri, belonging to four families, were collected, recognized and reported from the area. We also built 13 distribution maps for lizards of the Alborz province. We recorded two new distribution records for lizards of Iran in the area, we found an isolated population of Lacerta strigata in the north of the province which extends altitudinal distribution of the species more than 900 m in Iran. We also found an isolated population of Eremias faciata in south of the province, this record is the westernmost record for this species in Iran and extends the known distributional range of the species about 200 km westward.
Masoud Yousefi; Ali Khani; Sayad Sheykhi Inanlou; Elham Nourani; Anousheh Kaffash
Volume 6, Issue 2 , December 2017, , Pages 107-118
Abstract
Status and distribution of breeding birds in Iran is poorly known, especially in the north-east of Iran. In this study we present the result of our long-term field observations of breeding birds in northeastern Iran, Khorasan-e-Razavi province (Mashhad County, Sabzevar County, Sarakhs County, ...
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Status and distribution of breeding birds in Iran is poorly known, especially in the north-east of Iran. In this study we present the result of our long-term field observations of breeding birds in northeastern Iran, Khorasan-e-Razavi province (Mashhad County, Sabzevar County, Sarakhs County, Dargaz County, Quchan County, Torbat-e Heydarieh County) since 2008. We confirmed the breeding status of 54 bird species, some of which, namely Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, Saker Falcon Falco cherrug, Asian Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii and European roller Coracias garrulus are threatened. We believe that the number of breeding birds in Khorasan-e-Razavi province is much higher than reported here, but further observations and evidence is required to confirm the exact number. Due to the importance of uniform data collection and monitoring of breeding birds, we provide a framework for recording these data within Iran.
