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Rahimi E, Dong P, Ahmadzadeh F. Energy-based corridor identification for mammals between protected areas in Iran. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11551. [PMID: 38863719 PMCID: PMC11164971 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 05/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Body mass plays a crucial role in determining the mass-specific energy expenditure during terrestrial locomotion across diverse animal taxa, affecting locomotion patterns. The energy landscape concept offers a framework to explore the relationship between landscape characteristics and energy expenditure, enhancing our understanding of animal movement. Although the energy landscape approach solely considers the topographic obstacles faced by animals, its suitability compared to previous methods for constructing resistance maps and delineating corridors has not been comprehensively examined. In this study, we utilized the enerscape R package to generate resistance maps in kilocalories (kcal) by incorporating digital elevation models (DEMs) and body size data (kg). We assigned body sizes ranging from 0.5 to 100 kg to encompass a wide range of small and large mammals in Iran, adjusting maximum dispersal distances accordingly from 50 to 200 km. By analyzing these scenarios, we produced four resistance maps for each body size. Next, we identified potential corridors between terrestrial protected areas in Iran using the Linkage Mapper toolkit and examined barriers and pinch-points along these paths. Our study revealed significant findings regarding the shared corridors between small and large mammals in Iran's landscape. Despite their differing body sizes and energy requirements, many corridors were found to be utilized by both small and large mammal species. For example, we identified 206 corridors for mammals weighing 500 g, which were also recognized as the least-cost paths for 100 kg mammals. Thus, embracing a comprehensive method in resistance map creation, one that incorporates species-specific traits and human infrastructure becomes imperative for accurately identifying least-cost paths and consequently pinpointing pinch points and barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Rahimi
- Environmental Sciences Research InstituteShahid Beheshti UniversityTehranIran
| | - Pinliang Dong
- Department of Geography and the EnvironmentUniversity of North TexasDentonTexasUSA
| | - Faraham Ahmadzadeh
- Environmental Sciences Research InstituteShahid Beheshti UniversityTehranIran
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2
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Mitchell C, Bolam J, Bertola LD, Naude VN, Gonçalves da Silva L, Razgour O. Leopard subspecies conservation under climate and land-use change. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11391. [PMID: 38779533 PMCID: PMC11109047 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Predicting the effects of global environmental changes on species distribution is a top conservation priority, particularly for large carnivores, that contribute to regulating and maintaining ecosystems. As the most widespread and adaptable large felid, ranging across Africa and Asia, leopards are crucial to many ecosystems as both keystone and umbrella species, yet they are threatened across their ranges. We used intraspecific species distribution models (SDMs) to predict changes in range suitability for leopards under future climate and land-use change and identify conservation gaps and opportunities. We generated intraspecific SDMs for the three western leopard subspecies, the African, Panthera pardus pardus; Arabian, Panthera pardus nimr; and Persian, Panthera pardus tulliana, leopards, and overlapped predictions with protected areas (PAs) coverage. We show that leopard subspecies differ in their environmental associations and vulnerability to future changes. The African and Arabian leopards are predicted to lose ~25% and ~14% of their currently suitable range, respectively, while the Persian leopard is predicted to experience ~12% range gains. We found that most areas predicted to be suitable were not protected, with only 4%-16% of the subspecies' ranges falling inside PAs, and that these proportions will decrease in the future. The highly variable responses we found between leopard subspecies highlight the importance of considering intraspecific variation when modelling vulnerability to climate and land-use changes. The predicted decrease in proportion of suitable ranges falling inside PAs threatens global capacity to effectively conserve leopards because survival rates are substantially lower outside PAs due to persecution. Hence, it is important to work with local communities to address negative human-wildlife interactions and to restore habitats to retain landscape connectivity where PA coverage is low. On the other hand, the predicted increase in range suitability across southern Europe presents opportunities for expansion outside of their contemporary range, capitalising on European rewilding schemes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Vincent N. Naude
- Department of Conservation Ecology and EntomologyStellenbosch UniversityMatielandSouth Africa
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3
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Parker BG, Khanyari M, Ambarlı H, Buuveibaatar B, Kabir M, Khanal G, Mirzadeh HR, Onon Y, Farhadinia MS. A review of the ecological and socioeconomic characteristics of trophy hunting across Asia. Anim Conserv 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- B. G. Parker
- Department of Biology University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | | | - H. Ambarlı
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Faculty of Forestry Düzce University Düzce Turkey
| | - B. Buuveibaatar
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Mongolia Program Ulaanbaatar Mongolia
| | - M. Kabir
- Wildlife Ecology Lab, Department of Forestry & Wildlife Management University of Haripur Haripur Pakistan
| | - G. Khanal
- Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Ministry of Forests and Environment Government of Nepal Kathmandu Nepal
| | | | - Y. Onon
- World Wide Fund for Nature Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mongolia
| | - M. S. Farhadinia
- Oxford Martin School and Department of Biology University of Oxford Oxford UK
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation University of Kent Canterbury UK
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4
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Almasieh K, Rouhi H, Hasti F. Identifying core habitats and connectivity paths for the conservation of mouflon (Ovis gmelini) in Western Iran. Glob Ecol Conserv 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
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5
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Liang G, Liu J, Niu H, Ding S. Influence of land use changes on landscape connectivity for North China leopard ( Panthera pardus japonensis). Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9429. [PMID: 36311388 PMCID: PMC9596324 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
North China leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis) is the most widespread subspecies of leopard and one of the rare and endangered species in China. It is currently confined to several isolated natural reserves, and little is known about its habitat network connectivity with land use changes. This study was conducted to assess the impacts of land use changes on landscape connectivity for North China leopard in the Great Taihang Region. Circuit theory‐based connectivity models and least‐cost path analyses were used to delineate pathways suitable for species movement, and evaluate the impacts of land use changes on landscape connectivity. The results revealed that there were 37 least‐cost paths in 1990 and 38 in 2020. The area of forest land increased from 57,142.74 km2 to 74,836.64 km2, with the percentage increasing from 26.61% to 34.85%. In general, the increase in forest land area promoted the landscape connectivity for North China leopard at broad spatial scales. The improvement of landscape connectivity was not always consistent with the land use changes, and there was a slightly decreasing trend on connectivity in some key movement barrier areas with high intensity of human activities. Improving landscape connectivity at broad spatial scales is as important as protecting the habitats (natural reserves) where the species lives. Our study can serve as an example of exploring the relationships between land use changes and landscape connectivity for species conservation at broad spatial scales with limited movement pattern data. This information is proved to be critical for enhancing landscape connectivity for the conservation concern of North China leopard and planning of natural reserves network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guofu Liang
- Key Laboratory of Geospatial Technology for Middle and Lower Yellow River RegionsHenan University, Ministry of EducationKaifengChina,National Demonstration Center for Experimental Environment and Planning EducationHenan UniversityKaifengChina
| | - Jingzhen Liu
- Key Laboratory of Geospatial Technology for Middle and Lower Yellow River RegionsHenan University, Ministry of EducationKaifengChina
| | - Hanbo Niu
- Key Laboratory of Geospatial Technology for Middle and Lower Yellow River RegionsHenan University, Ministry of EducationKaifengChina
| | - Shengyan Ding
- Key Laboratory of Geospatial Technology for Middle and Lower Yellow River RegionsHenan University, Ministry of EducationKaifengChina
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Fu Y, Tan M, Gong Y, Zhao G, Ge J, Yang H, Feng L. Wild Boar Survives in a Landscape That Prohibits Anthropogenic Persecution. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.820915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Geopolitical borderlands are politically sensitive areas and biodiversity hotspots, strictly controlled by the government and military. How to ensure political security, while protecting the biodiversity in borderlands is a problem for ecologists and governments. In this study, the nest site selection of the wild boar Sus scrofa was a case study in the Sino-Russia borderland to understand the survival strategy of wild life under anthropogenic pressure. We investigated (a) how the spatial distribution of anthropogenic pressure and wild boar nests in the borderland and (b) how anthropogenic pressure and the border influence on the wild boars’ nest site selection. The Getis-Ord Gi* analysis was used to analyze the distribution patterns of wild boar nest sites and anthropogenic pressures in the borderland, the Structural Equation Models was used to explore the influence of border, roads, settlements, agricultural land, grassland and anthropogenic pressure on wild boars’ nest site selection. The results indicated that wild boar nest sites are close to the border, roads and agricultural land and away from settlements and grassland. Regardless of the combination of anthropogenic pressure, wild boars make the most advantageous choice and prefer to be closer to the borderland. We speculated that military control played a vital role in borderlands for animal protection under anthropogenic pressure. Wild boars benefit from the prohibition of anthropogenic persecution due to military control. Compared with existing measures, we suggest a different protection/wildlife management strategy, what we need to do may be to prohibit anthropogenic persecution rather than perform other human interventions to protect animals. However, for a species with trouble potential, we need to base our conservation strategies on the recovery of top predators, and play the community control role of top predators to avoid the occurrence of trouble.
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Kaboodvandpour S, Almasieh K, Zamani N. Habitat suitability and connectivity implications for the conservation of the Persian leopard along the Iran-Iraq border. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:13464-13474. [PMID: 34646483 PMCID: PMC8495822 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation has major negative impacts on wildlife populations, and the connectivity could reduce these negative impacts. This study was conducted to assess habitat suitability and structural connectivity of the Persian leopard along the Iran-Iraq border (i.e., the Zagros Mountains) and compare the situation of identified core habitats and connectivity with existing conservation areas (CAs). An ensemble modeling approach resulting from five models was used to predict habitat suitability. To identify core habitats and corridors along the Iran-Iraq border, factorial least-cost path analyses were applied. The results revealed that topographic roughness, distance to CAs, annual precipitation, vegetation/cropland density, and distance to rivers were the most influential variables for predicting the occurrence of the Persian leopard in the study area. By an estimated dispersal distance of 82 km (suggested by previous studies), three core habitats were identified (two cores in Iran and one core in Iraq). The largest cores were located in the south and the center of the study area, which had the highest connectivity priorities. The connectivity from these cores was maintained to the core within the Iraqi side. Only about one-fifth of detected core habitats and relative corridors were protected by CAs in the study area. Detected core habitats and connectivity areas in this study could be an appropriate road map to accomplish the CAs network along the Iran-Iraq border regarding Persian leopard conservation. Establishing transboundary CAs, particularly in the core habitat located in the center of the study area, is strongly recommended to conserve existing large carnivores, including the Persian leopard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahram Kaboodvandpour
- Department of Environmental SciencesFaculty of Natural ResourcesUniversity of KurdistanSanandajIran
- Department of Zrebar Lake Environmental ResearchKurdistan Studies InstituteUniversity of KurdistanSanandajIran
| | - Kamran Almasieh
- Department of Nature EngineeringAgricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of KhuzestanMollasaniIran
| | - Navid Zamani
- Department of Environmental SciencesFaculty of Natural ResourcesUniversity of KurdistanSanandajIran
- Zhooaan Agreen Ecotourism AcademySanandajIran
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8
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Javaheri Tehrani S, Kvist L, Mirshamsi O, Ghasempouri SM, Aliabadian M. Genetic divergence, admixture and subspecific boundaries in a peripheral population of the great tit, Parus major (Aves: Paridae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Secondary contact zones have been formed between several pairs of avian species and subspecies in northern and north-eastern Iran during the post-Pleistocene and Holocene periods. Three subspecies groups out of the four in the great tit (Parus major), major, bokharensis and cinereus, are believed to have come into local or regional secondary contact in north-eastern Iran. Parus major intermedius is also known from this region and has long been suggested to have a hybrid origin from hybridization between the yellow western (major) subspecies group and the grey-coloured eastern (bokharensis or cinereus) subspecies group based on its intermediate plumage coloration. Here, we investigated the evidence of intergradation between subspecies groups and the evolutionary origin of P. m. intermedius using mitochondrial DNA sequences and microsatellites, and approximate Bayesian computation to test competing scenarios for the demographic history of the populations. Our analyses indicate a divergence origin for intermedius that resulted from expansion of the major subspecies group. Low mitochondrial diversity and high genetic differentiation in comparison with central populations suggest that intermedius is a peripheral population. Microsatellite data show no signs of nuclear admixture between the bokharensis and major subspecies groups. However, one phenotypically intermedius specimen had bokharensis mtDNA and major nuclear DNA in the assumed hybrid zone (Lotf Abad), supporting past introgression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahar Javaheri Tehrani
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad 9177 9489 74, Iran
| | - Laura Kvist
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, POB 3000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Omid Mirshamsi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad 9177 9489 74, Iran
- Research Department of Zoological Innovations, Institute of Applied Zoology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad 9177 9489 74, Iran
| | - Seyed Mahmoud Ghasempouri
- Department of Environmental Science, Natural Resources and Marine Sciences Faculty, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor POB 46414-356, Iran
| | - Mansour Aliabadian
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad 9177 9489 74, Iran
- Research Department of Zoological Innovations, Institute of Applied Zoology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad 9177 9489 74, Iran
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Kheirkhah Ghehi N, MalekMohammadi B, Jafari H. Integrating habitat risk assessment and connectivity analysis in ranking habitat patches for conservation in protected areas. J Nat Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2020.125867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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10
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Farhadinia MS, Heit DR, Montgomery RA, Johnson PJ, Hobeali K, Hunter LTB, Macdonald DW. Vertical relief facilitates spatial segregation of a high density large carnivore population. OIKOS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad S. Farhadinia
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Dept of Zoology, Univ. of Oxford Oxford UK
- Oxford Martin School, Univ. of Oxford 34 Broad St. OX1 3BD Oxford UK
| | - David R. Heit
- Research on the Ecology of Carnivores and their Prey Laboratory, Michigan State Univ. East Lansing MI USA
| | - Robert A. Montgomery
- Research on the Ecology of Carnivores and their Prey Laboratory, Michigan State Univ. East Lansing MI USA
| | - Paul J. Johnson
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Dept of Zoology, Univ. of Oxford Oxford UK
| | | | - Luke T. B. Hunter
- Big Cats Program, Centre for Global Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society Bronx USA
- School of Life Sciences, Westville Campus, Univ. of KwaZulu‐Natal Durban South Africa
| | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Dept of Zoology, Univ. of Oxford Oxford UK
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