Journal of Wildlife and Biodiversity
Volume:1 Issue: 2, Autumn 2017

Markazi Province with its extended deserts and Anderson reported Eremias intermedia Strauch 1876, from Iran-Afghanistan border and Eremias nigrocellata Nikolsky 1896 from north and east of Iran. He also represented some features for recognition of these similar species. This study that lasted about one year was aimed at identifying herpetofauna of Kharturan protected area. 15 specimens of Eremias were obtained their measurements in agreement with the characters of neither Eremias intermedia nor Eremias nigrocellata that descrtibed by Anderson from Iran.

The interactions between species and their environments can shape distribution of spatial genetic variations. Evaluation of niche overlap and environmental dissimilarity provides valuable opportunities to investigate how niche differences contribute to genetic divergence between populations that differ in their geographical distributions and environment conditions. Nowadays, the formerly large continuous populations of Goitered gazelle in Iran have been confined to fragmented habitats due to natural and anthropogenic factors. A statistical framework based on an ecological niche modeling at genetically management units (MUs) level was used to compare environmental niche and evaluate the effect of niche differentiations on genetic patterns of two management units of Goitered gazelle in Central Iran. We found low values of niche overlap between the management units. The niche equivalency hypothesis revealed that niche of MUs is more significantly distinct than expected by chance. Also niche similarity test for both comparisons falls within the 95% confidence limits of the null distribution. These findings demonstrate that the niche of two MUs is rarely identical, but they tend to be more similar than expected based on random predictions and environmental background, which they occur. We concluded that, besides landscape resistance and geographic distance, ecological niche isolation is another factor affecting the genetic structure of gazelle populations in Iran. Conservation planning of this vulnerable species should focus on isolated populations as separate management units and landscape linkages to maintain gene flow between the genetically similar populations.

Human-elephant conflicts (HEC) have resulted to substantial loss in livelihood and human lives, consequently, the affected communities retaliate by harming or killing the elephants. Thus, measures to mitigate HEC are imperative for the successful conservation of elephants, and to ensure the coexistence of the local population with these animals. Numerous HEC mitigating methods have been implemented. I reviewed 19 different HEC mitigation methods to assess their successes and failures, as well as their sustainability. Methods that required the regular presence of humans for their implementation and functionality tended to be very tedious and unsustainable since uptake of such methods would be very low. Also, methods that posed no threat to elephants were unsustainable as elephants become use to the methods. Approaches that are affected by weather conditions are unsustainable. Methods that were very expensive to implement are also unsustainable as the method would be abandoned when funding ends. However, electrical fencing was effective and sustainable since it doesn`t depend on the physical presence of human for it to prevent elephant destruction, especially when sustainable finance mechanism is assured to ensure monitoring and maintenance of the fence. Beehive fences are also very effective especially when colonization of the hives is assured, and this method is very sustainable as it is cost effective and honey from the hives could generate income for the population. Also methods aimed at habitat modification are sustainable since habitat improvement increases the comfort and resources elephants need to live in their habitat.

The house shrew (Suncus murinus-S. montanus species complex) is considered to have been unintentionally introduced by humans from their original range to other regions around the Indian Ocean and neighboring seas, but this has yet not fully been investigated. A phylogenetic tree and haplotype network were reconstructed based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene nucleotide sequences (1140 bp) of 179 individuals of house shrews from 46 localities in southern East Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia, and islands in the western Indian Ocean. There was small genetic variation among shrews in Japan (Okinawa), southern China, Vietnam, and insular Southeast Asia. However, the shrew populations in Myanmar and Sri Lanka showed of a variety of different haplotypes. In the region of the western Indian Ocean, three interesting findings were obtained. First, the shrews on Zanzibar Island (Tanzania) shared same haplotype as those in southwestern Iran, and the haplotype was close to a group in Pakistan, despite these three regions being distantly located. Second, inferring from the haplotype network, it was suggests that the shrews in Yemen might have derived from Madagascar/Comoros populations. Third, the shrews on Réunion Island were genetically different from other populations around the western Indian Ocean but closer to Malaysia and Myanmar populations. Thus, the present study demonstrates that there have been dynamic immigration/emigration processes in the house shrews, especially for those around the western Indian Ocean. In addition, the house shrews in Myanmar may include several different species.

Great Bustard (Otis tarda) as a vulnerable species is exposed to the extinction risk mainly due to habitat destruction and hunting pressure. This study was conducted to assess the species current geographical range and its habitat suitability in north western parts of Iran. Based on previous investigations and observations, I mapped current habitats of the species using GIS and the important ecological variables affecting the species habitat usage were modeled by Ecological Niche factor Analysis (ENFA). The results show that the species geographical range is limited to the areas habitats like Sutav, Yngijeh, Alblagh, and Qazelian Plains. ENFA analysis indicated that Great Bustard tends to live in marginal habitats and is a very sensitive species in the study area. The suitability map depicts that 6.5% of the study area is the suitable for the species, however, this value is not consistent with the current habitats in terms of area and location.

Anthropogenic land use and its after-effects are potential sources of stress for European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus) populations, which increasingly have to cope with human impact throughout the species’ range. To determine whether habitat alteration impacts the stress load of free-ranging populations in Austria, we live-trapped and faecal-sampled individuals both in a nearly unaltered steppe habitat (TD) and in a strongly altered alfalfa meadow (FB). Overall and seasonal faecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) concentrations were analysed and compared between the two study sites. FCM levels of adult males and of juveniles of both sexes were higher at FB than at TD. Adult females showed no such differences, but exhibited increased faecal progesterone metabolites (FPM) levels at both sites during June. Our results indicate that human activities affected stress load in adult males and juveniles. The altered vegetation led to highly abundant food at FB and, together with the isolation of the habitat, caused a high population density. This apparently intensified social stress in certain periods of the active season. Elevated FCM levels in both adult males and juveniles at FB coincided with the period of highest population density, when all juveniles had emerged from the natal burrows, and hibernation had not started yet. At the same time, predation pressure and human recreational activities also peaked. The highest FCM levels were found in juveniles at FB shortly after natal emergence, suggesting that this age class is most vulnerable to social stress, predation and human disturbance. The lack of a measurable stress response in adult females may be due to increased progesterone concentrations attenuating the stress-induced elevation of glucocorticoids.

Based on different climatic scenarios, the distribution of the Olneya tesota A. Gray (Ironwood) has been modeled using MaxEnt modeling approach in the Sonora State of Mexico. Maximum Entropy species Distribution Modeling was used to predict distribution probability. 71,168 presence data and BIO1 to BIO19 variables of Worldclim BIOCLIM dataset for the present time, 2050 and 2070 used for modeling. The model performed with an acceptable range of sensitivity for training data (AUC=0.927) and random prediction (AUC=0.5). The results demonstrated that the high contributed variable on the presence of the O. tesota A. Gray is BIO17 Precipitation of Driest Quarter (48.3%) and the low contributed variable is BIO2=Mean Diurnal Range (Mean of monthly (max temp - min temp)) (0.9%). This means that the presence of the species is highly depended on dry months precipitation of which doesn’t have high fluctuations according to the used climate change scenario. Temperature fluctuations have not affected O. tesota A. Gray presence as it is known as a resistant species for extremely high temperatures. Therefore the probability of the presence of the species shows a significant increase on high altitudes mountains on the north-east of the Sonora state. Finally, the study concludes that the climate change will affect the distribution of the O. tesota A. Gray as an extinction risk and the same time will help the expansion of the species presence probability on the region. And it has been encountered new regions to recommend this valuable species as a reforestation alternative for conservation and management strategy like Soyopa, Aguaprieta and Sahuaripa municipalities among the others.