Breeding waterbird populations of the islands of the Northern Persian Gulf, Iran.

In 2010, we estimated the breeding waterbird popula tions on the uninhabited islands of the northern Persian Gulf, some of the most important waterbird nesting sites in Southwest Asia. We also compared the 2010 census results with data from the 1970s. Over 120,000 breeding pairs of waterbirds of nine species were estimated on seven islands in 2010. The most abundant species were Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus (74,113 pairs) and Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis (30,799 pairs). The results indicated that 20% of the global population of Crab Plover Dromas ardeola breed in the northern part of the Persian Gulf. The breeding population of White Cheeked Terns Sterna repressa had decreased by about 98% since the 1970s, while the populations of all the other species had increased. Further monitoring of the breeding waterbirds is needed in order to suggest appropriate measures for the conservation of these important waterbird populations. Compared with the situation in the 1970s, some islands are no longer suitable as nestingsites for waterbirds because of human exploitation, occupation by the military and development for the oil and gas industries

Dietary segregation between breeding tern species on the Persian Gulf islands, Iran

The dietary compositions of the three most abundant tern species breeding on Nakhilu and Omol-Karam Islands in the Persian Gulf were investigated to determine the dietary segregation between sympatric breeders. Chick dietary samples were collected from Bridled Tern (Sterna anaethetus), Lesser Crested Tern (S. bengalensis) and Swift Tern (S. bergii) in the 2010 and 2011 breeding seasons. Fish prey dominated the diet of the community (99% of prey consumed), although shrimps (primarily the Green Tiger prawn (Penaeus semisulcatus) were present in the food samples from Lesser Crested and Swift tern chicks. Regurgitates of Bridled Tern contained on average 12.48 ± 1.13 prey items (Range = 3–30, n = 31), Lesser Crested Tern contained 1.14 ± 0.01 (Range = 1–6, n = 365) and Swift Tern contained 1.08 ± 0.01 (Range = 1–4, n = 132). Pianka Overlap Index (Ojk) in food type was highest between Lesser Crested Tern and Swift Tern (0.98), while there was less similarity between Bridled Tern and Lesser Crested Tern (0.21) and Bridled Tern and Swift Tern (0.16) prey items. The results showed significant difference between the prey selected among the three tern species studied here in weight and length. Prey length and weight increased from 1–2-week-old chicks to 5–6-week-old chicks in both the Lesser Crested and Swift terns. Although there is high dietary overlap in Lesser Crested and Swift terns, they are segregated in terms of prey size, which likely reduces competition for prey. Although, there was some overlap between the diets of the three tern species, diet segregation on the basis of prey species and prey size are the main factors that should contribute to reduced competitive interactions for food resources

Trend of ‌Bird Population Changes and Diversity of the International Wetland of Rud-e-Shur, Rud-e-Shirin and Rud-e-Minab Deltas

Deltas of Rud-e-Shur, Rud-e-Shirin and Rud-e-Minab, consisting of mangroves and coastal mudflats, is one of the most important bird habitats on the shores of the Persian Gulf and are protected as an international wetland. In this study, a list of weland birds was prepared based on the data of the results of the semi-winter census of waterbirds, expert reports and field studies. Also, the trend of changes in the waterbird population in the period of 1988-2021 was calculated using the TRIM statistical package with the possibility of application in R ver3.6.3 software called RTRIM. The results showed that, a total of 156 species of 97 genera, 45 families and 18 orders including 98 species of waterbirds, 21 species of prey and 37 species of terrestrial species were identified. The population of waterbirds has a strong increase with a slope of 7.7% per year. In the last ten years, a moderate decline in population has been recorded with a slope of -4.1% per year. The average population of waterbirds in the wetland was 15,479 ± 2,669 and the average number of species was 41.6 ± 3.39. The largest population was in 2019 with 54,356 individuals and the highest number of species was in 2005 with 64 species. Although annual population fluctuations and diversity depended on census-related factors such as program support, bird-watching tools, number of sites, census coverage levels, and the experience of bird counters, the impact of habitat threats such as overfishing aquaculture and the increase in environmental pollution have also increased in recent years. A program to increase stakeholder awareness and strengthen participatory conservation can be effective in reducing wetland threats

A Review of Genetic Evidence of Widespread Depletion of Cheetah Gene Diversity and the Need to Conserve the Surviving Populations

Cheetah is the only species from the Acinonyx subfamily and genus whose global population trend has been declining. This species is known as a species with a low genetic variation that has resulted from bottlenecks about 10,000 and 12,000 years ago. All populations of the Asiatic cheetah subspecies are extinct in the Middle East and Southwest of Asia and Iran. Asiatic cheetah subspecies listed in the Critically Endangered because of severe decline in the gene diversity level which has resulted from habitat degradation, geographical separation of populations, and increasing inbreeding, there are only a few of the species remained in the wild of Iran. In this review study, the genetic variation reduction at different levels of Allozymes molecular markers, microsatellites, mitochondrial DNA, and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in the entire cheetah genome was investigated and validated. Studies based on restriction fragment length polymorphism, indicate severe genomic reductions in the occurrence of Single Nucleotide Variant, the density of Single Nucleotide Variant, Single Nucleotide Variants protein-coding genes, Major Histocompatibility Complex genes, and mitochondrial DNA Single Nucleotide Variant compared with other species. Significant reductions in overall genetic variation by multiple genomic markers lead to increased cubs’ mortality, severe abnormalities in sperm growth, problems with captive reproduction programs, and increased vulnerability to the spread of infectious diseases. Since conservation genetics plays a key role in the conservation and management of species, the results of this study can be used in genetic conservation, reproduction in captivity, and the management of the remaining populations of Asian cheetahs

Management of Conflicts and Threats of the Endangered Persian Wild Ass (Equus Hemionus Onager) in Natural Habitats and Breeding and Re-introduction Centers in Iran

Introduction: The Persian Wild Ass Equus hemionus onager is the only odd-toed ungulates (Perissodactyla) and largest wild herbivore in Iran, with a population of about 1300 individuals, distributed in the Bahram-e Gur conservation complex and Touran Biosphere Reserve. From the semi-captive reproduction and reintroduction centers, they had population growth in the centers of Yazd province and Kavir National Park. In other centers were not successful due to not considering demographic factors such as the age and sex composition of the founder population, intra- and inter-species competition, lack of information on genetic status and inbreeding and management factors such as hard release. In this study, the threats of the Persian Wild Ass in natural habitats, the state of reproduction and reintroduction centers, and management and conservation strategies have been discussed.Materials and Methods: Scientific sources, reports and documents available in the Semnan, Yazd, Fars and Kerman Provincial Office and the Wildlife conservation and Management bureau of the Department of the Environmental were studied regarding the threats, past and present population and fatalities of the Persian Wild Ass. Data collection was done by interviewing environmentalists, experts and completing species information forms including population, threats and expert suggestions of the respective provinces. Based on the field visits and investigation of natural habitats and reproduction and reintroduction centers in Fars and Semnan provinces, information was verified.Results: Over the past two decades, the population of the species has been growing in the Bahram-e Gur conservation complex, due to habitat management and the reduction of threats. While the species' population status in the Touran biosphere reserve has experienced a sharp decline since the 1970s and 1980s, and this trend has been almost stable for the past 20 years. The most important threats to the Persian Wild Ass due to human activities include destruction and fragmentation of habitats, poaching for meat, inbreeding, the occurrence of diseases in natural populations, seasonal use of vegetation, road kills, development of mines, drought, and climate change. Overgrazing by livestock reduces food availability, and also reduces the availability of water at springs. In semi-captive breeding and re-introduction centers, the lack of knowledge of the genetic status of populations, the very low growth rate, and infanticide are among the threats to the species. Management problems such as non-continuity of providing financial resources and equipment, lack of sustainable management with the passage of time, hard release due to lack of funds, equipment, and also non-observance of the gender ratio of the founding population can be effective in the failure of these centers.Discussion: The important strategies for conserving the Persian Wild Ass in the short- and long-term include identifying the threats and introducing methods to reduce the effect of the threat, developing a comprehensive plan for reproduction and reintroduction of the species, and implementing the action plan for the conservation of the population in the habitats. The implementation of participatory conservation programs with the key stakeholders can be effective in the conservation programs

Benefits and risks of transgenic products: Awareness-building

The Cartagena Protocol was adopted to achieve a common and coordinated solution for the transboundary movement of transgenic organisms, establish confidence and legitimacy in the field of biosafety regulations in the world, and increase global coordination. Under Clause 2 of Article 23 of the Protocol, States Parties are required to consult with the public and public institutions on the decision-making and policy-making of genetically modified species and to make the results of such consultations available to the public. In recent years, transgenic products have entered the diet of the Iranian people, but there has made no proper awareness about their benefits or harms for the people. Since the genetic structure of transgenic plants is altered through genetic engineering, and this change is usually done to improve the plant's resistance to certain pests or plant diseases, there is concern that these plants have also become resistant to drugs and cause abnormalities and the spread of diseases in humans. The Cartagena Protocol emphasizes the need for labeling, but despite the use of transgenic products in Iran, labeling and percentaging have not been done on all products and it is necessary to pay special attention to the implementation of the latest regulation of the Food and Drug Administration regarding transgenic events

Evaluation of Agreement among Ecological Indices in Determining the Quality of Karaj River (Alborz Province)

Introduction: The study of the structure of aquatic communities in aquatic ecosystems has a special place in the ecological studies of aquatic organisms. Among the important and common macrobenthic indices, we can mention uni- variate and multi-variate ecological indices, which having different advantages and disadvantages, are still used in various studies in riverian waters. In recent years, studies using biodiversity index and bioindices, especially the Helsinhof index, were used to assessment of the water quality of the Karaj River. Assuming that there is agreement between the ecological indices of the region, the present study evaluated the degree of agreement between the quality statuses results obtained from different ecological indices in the Karaj River. Materials and Methods: In this study, we sampled macrobenthic fauna using a sorber sampler in nine stations during 2017-2018, seasonally. After separating and identifying macrobenthos, Shannon's index, EPT, ASPT, BMWP and HFBI were calculated. Then the ecological status of the stations was classified based on these indices. The percentage of stations whose ecological status was acceptable or unacceptable, as well as the compatibility level between these five indices in the study area, were calculated. To determine the similar tendency of the different indices in the classification of stations, the degree of correlation between them was determined using a non-parametric test. SPSS23 and Excel software were used for statistical analysis and Primer6 was used to determine biodiversity index. Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normal distribution of the data. In order to determine the significant difference between the desired data, one-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used at the significance level of p<0.05. ArcGIS 10.3 and Terrset 17.3 software were used to prepare maps using the IDW method. Results: In terms of abundance, the Shironomide family was dominant. Baetis, Tubifex, Micrasema, Rhithrogena, Eporus, Hydropsyche, Leptophlebiidae, and Simulium made up 83% of the samples. The values ​​of H', EPT, ASPT, BMWP and HFBI were calculated (12.2±0.65), (5.6±2.8), (3.9±1), (48.8±23.34) and (4.6±1), respectively. The relative agreement in the results obtained from the five studied indices was seen in 67% of the stations with unacceptable quality in the case that 22% of the river stations showed complete agreement and 11% of the stations showed disagreement.  The statistical analysis shows that there is a significant agreement between the results of the ecological status obtained from EPT with ASPT, BMWP and Shannon, if they are different with HFBI index. Also, based on the results of the correlation between the classification of the ecological quality obtained from the bioindices (positive and strong correlation between the EPT and the Shannon and BMWP), it indicates the similar direction of these indices in the classification of the stations. Discussion: There are structural and population changes of macrobenthos in aquatic ecosystems due to natural factors and human activities. Due to the lack of complete agreement between the assessment results of the five indices in this study, in order to use biological indices in each region for environmental management, there is a need to simultaneously use indices. Also, it is important to check the agreement between different indices and choose the appropriate ecological index. As a result, using each of these indices alone and without considering the above considerations can lead to wrong results. Based on the results of the present study, the Helsinhof index (HFBI) can be introduced as a more suitable index than other studied indices to assess the ecological status of the Karaj River

Food abundance explains the breeding season of a tropical shorebird, the Crab Plover Dromas ardeola

The timing of breeding in birds is a life-history trait that generally depends on food availability, but other factors may play a role, particularly in tropical areas where food availability is less seasonal than in temperate or polar areas. We studied the factors affecting the breeding season of the Crab Plover Dromas ardeola, a  burrownesting colonial shorebird endemic to the north-western Indian Ocean. A reduced risk of burrow flooding, high temperatures suitable for exploiting solar incubation, a reduced interference by Palaearctic shorebirds during foraging, a reduced risk of predation by Palaearctic raptors and a high food abundance are all associated with the summer breeding season of the Crab Plover in our study area in Eritrea. In addition, we collected remotely recorded data associated with these advantageous environmental factors around breeding colonies in nine   well-separated areas. Only average annual chlorophyll a concentration, a proxy of marine productivity, was significantly correlated with the start of the breeding season, which varies up to one month throughout the breeding range. We conclude that food abundance, with the likely high intraspecific competition due to coloniality, is strongly supported as the critical factor determining the nesting phenology of this tropical species.Keywords: breeding season, burrow temperature, chlorophyll, competitors, Crab Plover, Dromas ardeola, food abundance, Indian Ocean, predators, rainfal

Breeding biology of the Crab Plover (Dromas ardeola) on the Mond Islands, Northern Persian Gulf, Iran

The present study describes the breeding biology of Crab Plovers (Dromas ardeola), a little-known shorebird species nesting on Nakhilu and Omol-Karam Islands located in the Nakhilu Marine National Park in the northern Persian Gulf, Iran. This study occurred during the breeding seasons of 2009–2011. Colonies had between 500–1,500 nests and were located on sand banks 1–3 m higher than the surrounding ground in non-overlapping areas. Burrow digging began in mid-April, and single nests were built in 2.82 ± 0.1 days (Range = 2–4 days, n = 45) in a period of 10.5 ± 0.76 days (Range = 8–13 days, n = 6), although a spread of digging and laying of 87.50 ± 2.96 days (Range = 82–94 days, n = 4) was recorded primarily due to renesting after human damage to the burrows. Range in nest densities was 0.14–0.26 nest per m2. The clutch size was 1.01 ± 0.005 (Range = 1-2, n = 421). Egg size (n = 47) was 64.05 × 44.04 mm with an average incubation period of 33 days (Range = 31–35, n = 21). Hatching success was 63–81%, with failures primarily due to egg collecting by local fishermen and tourists. An estimated of 7 weeks passed between hatching and fledging. Fledglings had almost fully developed wings (83% of adult wing length) and feathers, but very low weight (about 55% of adult weight) and smaller bill length (only 60% of adult bill length). A stronger control of visitors and local fishermen would benefit the breeding population of Crab Plovers on the islands