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Department: search.filters.department.Department of PhysicsSubject: search.filters.subject.Ecology

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Ecosystem services valuation using InVEST modeling: case from southern Iranian mangrove forests
    (Elsevier, 2023) Dashtbozorgi, Fatemeh; Hedayatiaghmashhadi, Amir; Dashtbozorgi, Ameneh; Ruiz-Agudelo, Cesar Augusto; Furst, Christine; Cirella, Giuseppe T.; Department of Physics; Naderi, Mortaza; Researcher; Department of Physics; College of Sciences; N/A
    As one of the most fertile ecosystems on earth, mangrove forests provide many goods and services for humanity. Mangroves are located in the south of Iran on the coasts of Sistan and Baluchistan, Hormozgan and Bushehr provinces, which include two species of Harra (Avicennia marina) and Chandal (Rhizophora mucronata) The purpose of this study was to describe the condition of mangrove forests using the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and tradeoffs (InVEST) between 2010 and 2021 from the southern coasts of Iran. The INVEST model uses land use and land cover maps to estimate habitat quality. With the opinions of local experts, sources of threats, maximum impact distance, state of degradation, and sensitivity to threats were also estimated for each type of land use cover. Urban and rural areas' development, roads network, piers, oil and non-oil industries, agriculture, and aquaculture activities, were identified as sources that threaten mangroves' long-term viability. The output maps of the INVEST habitat quality model included degradability and habitat quality maps, which were classified into four categories: poor, low, medium, and high, to better understand quality changes. The results demonstrated that mangrove habitat quality has decreased considerably despite the increase in their area. The area of the target habitats has been increased by 586.45 ha while two first quality categories, including poor and low classes, increased. Based on a habitat quality assessment in 2010, two classes of poor, low habitat quality, were estimated to be around 0.72, and 8.42 ha, which changed to 3.04 ha, and 9.72 ha respectively in 2021. The output maps obtained in this study can help local managers and decision-makers to have an image of what happened to the quality of the target ecosystems and may help them to adopt more effective management strategies for the conservation of these ecosystems.
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    Effect of human-induced activities on waterbirds diversity and abundance in three wetlands of international importance in Iran
    (Maik Nauka/Interperiodica/Springer, 2019) Golzar, E.; Esfandabad, B. Shams; Morshedi, J.; Jozi, S. A.; Department of Physics; Naderi, Mortaza; Researcher; Department of Physics; College of Sciences; N/A
    Over six years from 2011 to 2015, direct field observations and waterbirds' surveys were performed in three Ramsar sites (Choghakhor, Shadegan and Parishan). Our results indicated that all three wetlands affected by developing intensive farming systems and lowered species richness. The most important difference existing among the wetlands points to the habitat of the specialist waterbirds, while we found no significant differences in the habitat of the generalist birds. Meanwhile, some completely dependent birds like White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala) have completely disappeared. Our results indicated that 87 percent of the variation in the species richness and abundance can be justified by a combination of water depth, water area, sludge depth, conductivity, total phosphorus, newly developed farming areas and vegetation cover.
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    Mesocarnivores den site selection in arid ecosystems; a case study of Rüppell's fox and sand cat in central Iran
    (Elsevier, 2024) Feizabadi, Hossein Akbari; Ashrafi, Sohrab; Hemami, Mahmoud R.; Ahmadi, Mohsen; Department of Physics; Naderi, Mortaza; Department of Physics; College of Sciences
    Understanding the relationships between species and their pattern of coexistence is essential in conservation planning. Ruppell's fox and sand cat are two poorly known species of desert areas that coexist in most parts of the desert belt of Africa and the Middle East. However, their habitat selection in many parts of their distribution are unknown. In this research, using the data collected from a three-year monitoring plan, we investigated the relationship between the den sites of Ruppell's fox and sand cat and habitat variables based on the generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) method. The results showed that for Ruppell's foxes, only the density of rodent burrows had a significant and positive effect. In the sand cat model, in addition to prey, vegetation density (P-value < 0.05) and vegetation height (P -value < 0.10) had significantly positive effects and elevation had a significantly negative effect (P-value < 0.10). We found that the sand cat is more specialized in habitat selection and depends more on the habitat cover. While the Ruppell's fox chose a more diverse range of soil and vegetation classes, the sand cat selected its den sites exclusively in sandy loam soils with the predominant cover of Haloxylon spp. and Caligonum spp. Acting as a generalist species, Ruppell's fox displayed a more pronounced response to human presence and selected dens with a broader view of their surroundings. These findings enhance our understanding of mesocarnivore coexistence in desert regions and provide valuable insights for the conservation planning of these species.
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    Protecting alpine biodiversity in the middle east from climate change: implications for high-elevation birds
    (Wiley, 2024) Ahmadi, Mohsen; Nawaz, Muhammad Ali; Asadi, Hamed; Hemami, Mahmoud-Reza; Shafapourtehrani, Mahyat; Shabani, Farzin; Department of Physics; Naderi, Mortaza; Department of Physics; College of Sciences
    Aims: The Middle East, located in the arid belt of the Earth, is home to a diverse range of biodiversity, with its mountain ecosystems being the most important centres of species diversity and endemism. In this study, the impact of climate change on alpine bird species in the Middle East was assessed across five mountain systems: Alborz-Kopet-Dagh, Caucasus-Pontic, Levant-Taurus, Sarawat-Hijaz and Zagros-Central Iran. Location: Middle East. Methods: Using species distribution models (SDMs), 38 native alpine bird species were analysed under different climate change scenarios. We also identified future multispecies in situ and ex situ climate refugia and assessed the efficiency of the current protected areas (PAs) system in protecting them. Results: The results indicated that, on average, habitat suitability for these species is projected to decline by 36.83% (2050, SSP2-4.5) to 60.10% (2070, SSP5-8.5) with an upward range shift. Based on stacking range change of the species, Levant-Taurus, Zagros-Central Iran and Alborz-Kopet-Dagh mountain ranges will experience the highest amount of habitat loss, respectively, with Caucasus-Pontic being least affected. The gap analysis showed that the existing PAs system covers only 13% and 10% of the in situ and ex situ climatic refugia, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings underscore the significance of mountainous regions in the Middle East for the persistence of alpine bird species and the urgent need to prioritize climate refugia in transboundary and participatory conservation plans. It is crucial to prevent habitat degradation and alteration resulting from human activities in these areas to ensure the persistence of alpine species and their habitats.