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.
animal biosystematic
Masoud Yousefi; Bagher Nezami; Mohamad Ali Adibi; Abdoulsaleh Geray; Farhad Ataei
Abstract
Reptiles are important components of natural ecosystems but because of limited dispersal ability they are sensitive to habitat destruction, road development and climate change. However, very little is known about their diversity and distribution in protected areas of Iran. In this study, reptiles of ...
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Reptiles are important components of natural ecosystems but because of limited dispersal ability they are sensitive to habitat destruction, road development and climate change. However, very little is known about their diversity and distribution in protected areas of Iran. In this study, reptiles of Touran Biosphere Reserve were collected, photographed and identified from 2014 to 2021. Results showed that 36 reptile species including 20 lizards, 15 snakes and 1 tortoise are living in the Touran Biosphere Reserve. Families Agamidae and Gekkonidae where the most diverse families among the lizard species and family Colubridae was the most diverse family among the snake species. Testudo horsfieldii and Varanus griseus are species with conservation concern thus they need special conservation programs.
Masoud Yousefi; Bagher Nezami; Amir Abdoos; Bahramali Zaheri; Ahmad Radman; Negar Najafi Siavashan
Abstract
Birds provide important ecosystem services, but they face several threats like climate change, land-use change, and illegal hunting. Protected areas are important tools for the conservation of avian diversity however their avian diversity and distribution poorly studied in Iran. In this study, we present ...
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Birds provide important ecosystem services, but they face several threats like climate change, land-use change, and illegal hunting. Protected areas are important tools for the conservation of avian diversity however their avian diversity and distribution poorly studied in Iran. In this study, we present the result of our field observations of avifauna and breeding birds of Touran National Park, Semnan province between 2019 and 2021. We recorded 92 bird species in the national park and confirmed the breeding status of 33 species, some of which, namely Eastern Imperial Eagle, Asian Houbara Bustard, and European roller are threatened. Eastern Imperial Eagle and Asian Houbara Bustard are listed on Annex I of CITES and Eurasian Kestrel and Merlin are listed on Annex I of CITES. Diversity of bird of prey, breeding of the Persian Ground Jay and Houbara Bustard in the desert and semi-arid steppe ecosystems are some of the remarkable values of the Touran National Park. According to the field surveys, the presence of large numbers of domestic animals around the Park and the trampling of bird nests, the high number of domestic camels, and successive droughts are the most important avian threats in the Touran National Park.
Masoud Yousefi
Abstract
Ecological niche models have found many applications in paleoecology, archeology and paleoanthropology. These models are based on niche theory and are used to model the distribution of species through time and space. Species distribution models use species distribution data and environmental predictors ...
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Ecological niche models have found many applications in paleoecology, archeology and paleoanthropology. These models are based on niche theory and are used to model the distribution of species through time and space. Species distribution models use species distribution data and environmental predictors to model species distribution. In this study I used MaxEnt model, distribution records of the Homo neanderthalensis (Mousterian artefacts) and topographic and climatic data to reconstruct eco-cultural niche of the species on the Central Iranian Plateau. The performance of the model was assessed using the area (AUC) under the receiver operating curve (ROC). The predictive ability of the model was high (AUC = 0.827 for training and 0.813 for test data). The species past distribution model showed that there were numerous suitable patches for distribution of the species in the study area. The most continues patches were found in Yazd province, west of Semnan province and east of Isfahan province. With 48.3 percent contribution to the model, topographic heterogeneity was the most important predictor of this archaic human distribution. This is because topographic heterogeneity influences resource availability, meaning that areas with higher topographic heterogeneity provide more resources. The eco-cultural niche model predicts many suitable patches which can be target of future field excavations in the study area.
Abbas Ashoori; Masoud Yousefi; Farhad Hosseini Tayefeh
Abstract
Waterbirds are among the most vulnerable species of birds, and their species richness and population size are important indicators of the quality and conservation value of aquatic ecosystems. The populations of waterbirds are severely in decline, and in recent years more species have been added to the ...
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Waterbirds are among the most vulnerable species of birds, and their species richness and population size are important indicators of the quality and conservation value of aquatic ecosystems. The populations of waterbirds are severely in decline, and in recent years more species have been added to the IUCN Red List. It is therefore imperative that the populations of these birds be monitored and protected. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the trends in the diversity and density of wintering migratory waterbirds in four protected areas in the Anzali International Wetland Complex, namely Selkeh, Sorkhankol, Choukam and Siahkieshim. To this end, data from the mid-winter census during a 10-year period (2003-2005 and 2008-2013) were used. We also compared the similarity of waterbird communities among the four protected areas using the Morista Index and PCA test. In total, 65 species of waterbirds were identified in all of these four areas of the wetland. Selkeh had the highest species richness (57 species) and Siahkeshim had the highest mean abundance (31,504 individuals). Also the highest abundance of these four areas combined was in 2013 (103,332 individuals) and the lowest was in 2005 (42,842 individuals). Anatidae were represented by the highest number of species (18 species) and Threskiornithidae and Sternidae families were lowest with one species each. The results of Morista Index and PCA test also revealed that, Sorkhankol wildlife refuge had the least similarity with the other protected areas based on species richness. The results suggest the importance of the Sorkhankol area for providing habitats and supporting diving waterbird species, in particular its value for diving ducks. So, this part of Anzali Wetland may need to be protected more than before. Implementation of comprehensive wetland management plans and establishment of integrated ecosystem management systems are among the most important strategies for preserving these four areas for aquatic birds and overwintering.
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.
Masoud Yousefi; Mojtaba shokrane; Sayyad Sheykhi IIanloo
Volume 4, Issue 2 , December 2015, , Pages 69-78
Abstract
Bavanat County, with an area of 4992 km², is located in north east of Fars province. During a long-term avifauna survey in the area which lasted 8 years (2007-2014), 85 bird species belonging to 12 orders and 32 families, identified and reported. The order Passeriformes with 61 species was the most ...
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Bavanat County, with an area of 4992 km², is located in north east of Fars province. During a long-term avifauna survey in the area which lasted 8 years (2007-2014), 85 bird species belonging to 12 orders and 32 families, identified and reported. The order Passeriformes with 61 species was the most diverse order in the study area. The most diverse families were Turdidae, Fringillidae and Corvidae with 18, 6 and 6 species respectively. Due to lack of natural and human made waterbodies in the study area, only one water bird species was recorded in Bavanat County. The County has a suitable habitats for the presence of terrestrial birds, especially in the spring and summer seasons.
sayyad shaykhi; M Yousefi; E Rastegar Pouyani; V Zamani
Volume 3, Issue 1 , January 2015, , Pages 39-48
Abstract
Motacilla alba has three subspecies in Iran including M.a. personata, M.a. persica and M. a. dukhunensis. There is some evidence to support hybridization The among these subspecies. In this study, morphological differences between two subspecies of White Wagtail in Iran including M.a.personata and M.a.persica. ...
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Motacilla alba has three subspecies in Iran including M.a. personata, M.a. persica and M. a. dukhunensis. There is some evidence to support hybridization The among these subspecies. In this study, morphological differences between two subspecies of White Wagtail in Iran including M.a.personata and M.a.persica. were investigate For this purpose, 17 specimens were collected from South and North East of Iran during the spring and summer of 2011. Then seven primary variables were and six calculated ratios for comparison in multivariate analyses using Past program measured . Also coloration of head, forehead, crown and throat between to subspecies Were Compared. T test revealed that five characteristics were significantly different between two subspecies (P
