kamran almasieh

The present study was carried out with the aim of determining the concentration of heavy metals (zinc, lead, cadmium, and chromium) in water, sediment, and muscle and liver tissues of Barbus sharpeyi and Barbus xanthopterus of the Karoon River in order to investigate the status of heavy metals. In this river and to determine the health of the water ecosystem of the Karoon River in Bavi City, the evaluation of these two widely consumed fish species as biological monitors of heavy metals should also be done.

This study was conducted in April 1401 in order to investigate the concentration of heavy metals such as zinc, lead, cadmium, and chromium in six stations in the Karun River in Bavi city. The statistical population for the measurement of heavy metals with three replications included 18 water samples, 18 sediment samples, and 40 benny and gotan fish. Then, in order to measure the concentration of heavy metals in water samples, the sediment and tissues of Beni and Gatan fish after acid digestion were injected into the Contra-AA 330 model atomic absorption device. A comparison of heavy metal data from water samples, sediment, and fish tissues was done using SPSS software. The Shapiro-Wilk test was also used to check the normal distribution of the results. The statistical method of one-way analysis of variance was also used for general comparisons, and Tukey's test was used for multiple comparisons, and the differences were significant at the 95% level.

The average concentration of zinc, lead, cadmium, and chromium in water samples was 5.36, 1.80, 0.18, and 0.68 micrograms/liter, respectively, in sediment samples 46.57, 13.31, 2.89, and, respectively, 22.29 μg/g. Regarding the amount of zinc, lead, cadmium, and chromium in the muscle samples of benny fish, respectively, 57.13, 1.60, 0.94, and 0.51 micrograms per gram, and 11.65, 0.91, and 56, respectively, in Gatan fish. 0.0 and 0.41 μg/g were obtained. Also, the amount of these elements in Bani fish liver is 27.33, 3.49, 2.15, and 1.51 micrograms per gram, and in Gatan fish liver it is 23.49, 2.11, 1.40, and 1.32, respectively. µg/g was obtained. Comparing the amounts of elements in the edible muscle tissue of Beni and Gatan fish showed that the amount of zinc in the muscle tissue of two species of fish is lower than the international standards, but lead, cadmium, and chromium in the muscle tissue of Beni and Gatan fish were higher than some international standards. Pearson's correlation test showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between the concentration of metals in water samples, sediment, and tissues of Bani and Gatan fish (p<0.05). The results of calculating the MPI pollution index showed that the value of this index was greater than 1 for all the investigated elements. The BAF index in all samples was less than 1, and the BCF index was greater than 1 for zinc and cadmium elements and less than 1 for lead and chromium. Also, the results of calculating the MLR index showed that the amount of this index for the studied metals is about 0.5.

The concentration of all heavy metals studied in the non-edible tissue of the liver was higher than the edible muscle tissue of Beni and Gatan fish caught from the Karun River located in Khuzestan province. The high levels of the three elements lead, cadmium, and chromium in some international standards indicate the need to pay attention to the possibility of the continuous entry of the sources of these polluting factors, such as the effluents of agricultural poisons, herbicides, insecticides, and residues from fossil fuels. The use in industrial activities depends on the habitat of the mentioned species. Based on the metal pollution index (MPI, BAF, BCF, and MLR), it can be said that among the two investigated fish species, the amount of pollution and health risk of consuming benny fish is much higher than that of gatan fish. The MPI index showed that the level of contamination in the liver is higher than in the muscle. Also, the bioaccumulation factor was higher in Bani fish than in Gatan. The bioconcentration index also shows the high accumulation power of Beni and Gatan fish for zinc and cadmium elements. Therefore, these two species are suitable biological indicators for monitoring the pollution of heavy metals such as zinc and cadmium in the Karun River. Also, considering that the highest bioconcentration index of metals is in Beni fish, Beni fish can be the most indicative species in relation to the accumulation of zinc and cadmium elements in the Karun River. The ratio of muscle to liver also showed that this index can be an important biological index in monitoring heavy metal pollution in aquatic ecosystems. The concentration of heavy metals in the liver and muscle changes with the level of environmental pollution. In polluted places, heavy metals preferentially accumulate in the liver. The results of Pearson's correlation coefficient also showed that there is a significant correlation between the concentration of metals in water and the muscle and liver tissue of Beni and Gatan fish, so it can be concluded that the muscle and liver tissue of Beni and Gatan fish can be a suitable biological monitor for Heavy metals are investigated in the Karun River, and the liver is a more suitable monitor than the muscle. In general, based on the results of this study, it can be seen that the use of fish can give a better picture of the bioavailability of heavy metals such as zinc, lead, chromium, and cadmium. Also, in terms of the health status of the Karun River, using biological monitors, the muscle tissue and liver of Bani and Gatan fish, especially the liver, can be a suitable biological monitor for river health studies. Due to the entry of agricultural, urban, etc. effluents into this area, more periodical investigations and more accurate knowledge of the concentration of pollutants in different foodstuffs such as fish, plants, and agricultural fields are necessary. Also, it is necessary to accurately identify the origin of these pollutants and their input and production sources using chemical fingerprinting techniques so that better control can be done in order to manage these pollutants and finally prevent the penetration of such pollutants into the environment. Values should be avoided.

The growth habit, abundant green foliage, and distinctive fragrant inflorescences of E. hypericifolia make it an excellent choice as an ornamental plant. One of the initial steps in introducing native plants to urban green spaces involves studying their propagation methods. In this study, E. hypericifolia was assessed to determine its suitability as a new ornamental species for the landscape of Ahvaz city. Various ornamental criteria and dormancy treatments were examined. The results indicated that E. hypericifolia possesses the necessary characteristics for urban green space utilization. In this research, the indicators such as the flower color, leaf shape and color, vegetative and reproductive organ beauty, flowering time, length of flowering period, plant height, degree of desirability of plant density, and cleanliness were highly favorable and aesthetically significant based on the results derived from the outcomes of the survey carried out by the specialists. This particular plant possesses the potential to be utilized in the creation of a winter and autumn urban landscape, contribute to green belts and urban forests, and be cultivated in forest parks. Additionally, the research revealed that heat treatment at 70 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes did not positively impact germination traits. Conversely, chemical and physical scarification treatments increased germination rates by 50% compared to the control and other methods.

This research aims to determine the mercury (Hg) in the muscle and liver tissues of Otolithes ruber species and its human health risk assessment due to its consumption.

In this study thirty fish samples were taken from the Imam Khomeini port in northwest of the Persian Gulf, in July. Then, the total mercury was measured by the Mercury Advanced Analyzer (254 AMA manufactured by Leco).

The mean concentrations of Hg in the muscle of O. ruber species were 0.112± 0.015 µg.g-1 d.w that were below the limits for fish proposed by WHO, FAO, USEPA, FDA and MAFF and the mean concentrations of Hg in the liver tissues were 0.714± 0.113. µg.g-1 d.w. Value of muscle/liver ratio was about 0.16 that revealed high contamination of the region with the mercury element. EDI and EWI lower than PTDI and PTWI and THQ<1.00 showed that the consumption of the mentioned fish will not pose an acute risk to the health of the consumers. Based on CRlim and CRmm in the studied fish for different human groups, a potential human health risk was identified for children.

In general, the main conclusion of this work showed that there is no serious warning or prohibition against consuming this fish by adults, however it should be mentioned that the risk assessment caused by the presence of other heavy elements as well as organic pollutants in O. ruber fish can have an impact in determining the permissible limit of consumption of this species.

AbstractIn the years to come, the extent and severity of dust storms in southwest regions of Iran has been caused by the geographical location and specific climatic conditions. This phenomenon is one of the major environmental hazards in these areas and Khuzestan Province as the main focus of dust every year has incurred a lot of heavy costs. To this end, to deal with dust, But the major problem of this project is the lack of public participation Therefore, this research was conducted with the aim of analyzing the barriers of participation of local communities in natural resources projects to deal with dust in Khuzestan province. The statistical population of the study consisted of experts in the field of natural resources and watershed management and agriculture Jihad in Khuzestan province. Data analysis was done by Expert Choice software. Analysis of data based on paired comparisons showed that the most important criterion for examining the barriers to participation is based on the stages of participation in the decision-making phase afterwards, the steps are implemented, shared, and evaluated. In addition to comparing options on the basis of all criteria, the results showed that the most important challenges for local communities' participation in natural resource designs to deal with dust include educational obstacles. Therefore, in order to achieve sustainable participation, educational barriers should be removed, social-cultural barriers, economic barriers, technical and technical barriers in the next ranks.

In Iran, brown bears are in a wider range of conflicts with people than other carnivores. However, understanding the factors leading to conflict is a conservation priority, which helps prevent and reduce the damages. The aim of this research is to investigate the factors affecting brown bear conflicts as well as strategies used by local people to reduce the damage caused by this species in the Roshan Kooh no-hunting area, Fars Province. We used Daniel method for sampling by considering the size of households living in rural areas, and 200 questionnaires about the factors affecting brown bear attacks and the strategies used by local people for reducing damages were designed and local people were interviewed in 2019. For this purpose, social network analysis method was used. The results showed that from the perspective of the local communities, drought, brown bear stimulation and lack of fencing around orchards and beehives have the most centrality among the factors affecting brown bear conflicts with human. Among the solutions used by local people, the level of public trust before and after using educating children and inexperienced people, fencing around the orchards or beehives, and using herding dogs, is higher than other methods. The significant results of this research are the reduction of the centrality with the help from the Department of Environment (DoE) after use, which shows the low trust of local people after referring to the DoE. With the determination of the central role of education for children and inexperienced people, it is suggested that education to local communities is considered as a top of the management programs of the DoE.

Nowadays, monitoring the wetlands land-use change trends using satellite images is one of the most important tools for managing and conserving wetlands. The goal of this study was to investigate land cover change in Meighan wetland as a remarkable wintering wetland for water birds and waders in the middle of the country during 2008-2018 in order to evaluate the trend of the changes in this wetland and make managers prompt a proper decision for the effective management. In this study, images of the geo-referenced Landsat satellite, ETM+, OLI 8 TRIS were used and after applying necessary corrections on the images, results were analyzed in the ENVI 5.4 software. The results of the change detections indicated that the area of the wetland has decreased by 63.31% during the study period. Vegetation covers of the wetland diminished by 64%. During the study period, barren lands have increased by 11.6%. Also, the area of agricultural land in the border of the wetland has expanded by 23.15%. Besides, reviewing water birds and waders abundance in 2008 and 2018 showed that abundance of the most families of water birds and waders were higher in 2008. Taking the environmental importance of Meighan wetland into account as a place hosting large populations of water birds and waders, we recommend that management plans to survey and systematically control of this wetland should be implemented.

Centaurea glastifolia, a plant species from the Asteraceae family, is distributed in the Northwest of Iran. This study carried out to determine suitable habitats and habitat connectivity of Centaurea glastifolia in three Provinces of West Azarbayejan, East Azarbayejan and Ardabil. Seven habitat variables and 36 presence points were selected for habitat modelling using six habitat distribution models of GLM, GAM, MARS, MaxEnt, RF and GBM. The ensemble map resulting from these models was used for habitat connectivity modelling using electrical-circuit method. Results of habitat evaluation revealed that suitable habitats of the species studied were mainly located in West Azarbayejan and east of Ardabil Provinces, for which distance from agricultural lands, mean annual temperature and distance from rangelands had the highest contribution to the model. Habitat connectivity modelling showed that the current density movement was highest in West Azarbayejan. Current density movement between East and Southeast of Ardabil was evaluated to be significant, whereas the current density movement between West Azarbayejan and Ardabil Provinces was relatively low. The high current density movement in West Azarbayejan indicates the species’ high dispersal ability in expanding its range across the area. The results of the current study could facilitate understanding of the distribution and dispersal of Centaurea glastifolia.

This study was conducted to determine habitat connectivity and road crossing area for the Persian wild ass (Equus hemionus onager) in the Bahram-e-Goor Protected Area. In this research, habitat suitability modeling was carried out using 57 presence points of the species and six environmental layers implemented in the Biomod2 package in the R software based on four species distribution models. Then, the ensemble map obtained from the distribution models was used for habitat connectivity modeling using electrical-circuit method. Finally, the coincidence rate of road crossing with road collision points was assessed. Ourresults revealed that distance from moderate rangelands, distance from roads and slope had the greatest impact on habitat suitability of the Persian wild ass. Furthermore,results of the connectivity modeling revealed that there were high current movements of Persian wild ass individuals between Qatruiyeh National Park and western parts of the Bahram -e- Goor Protected Area. Eventually, seven road collisions were found to be in high coincidence with the modeled current movement along the west border of the Bahram -e- Goor Protected Area.This research highlights the necessity of provision of road crossing facilities (i.e., warning signs and lights, and speed control for vehicles) for conservation of the Persian wild ass by the Department of Environment in the study area.

Centaurea pabotii (CP), a range plant species from the Asteraceae family is endemic to Iran and mainly distributes in the wheat fields of southwest of Iran. A study was carried out to determine suitable habitats as well as habitat connectivity of this species in order to detect areas with high habitat connectivity in four provinces of Khuzestan, Bushehr, Fars and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad. Habitat suitability modelling was performed with 25 presence points of the CP and eight environmental layers, using Biomod2 package in the R software based on six species distribution models. The ensemble map resulting from these distribution models was used for habitat connectivity modelling using electrical-circuit method. Habitat suitability map of CP revealed that suitable habitats of this species were mainly located in the Khuzestan province. Elevation, annual precipitation and distance from agricultural lands, respectively, had the highest contribution in the model of habitat suitability of CP. Habitat connectivity modelling showed that the highest current density of movement was demonstrated in the north, east and southeast of Khuzestan, whereas the current density movement of southeast of Khuzestan was continued toward Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad. However, current density of movement for CP in Bushehr and Fars provinces were detected isolated. Totally, wheat fields of Khuzestan province are more threatened by the invasion of CP and managers of Agriculture Jihad in Khuzestan province should take the necessary measures to protect wheat fields against the invasion of CP.

In wildlife management, sufficient information about fauna is vital for conservation of species and their habitats. Furthermore, the number of bird species in a habitat can represent an index of habitat quality. Therefore, this study was carried out to identify bird fauna on a university campus (i.e. Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, abbreviated as ASNRUKH) in the southwest of Iran in order to determine the number of bird species, the day of their arrival, and the presence time of migratory birds on campus. Field survey and identification of birds were carried out in the study area, with an area of 72.9 ha, using binoculars from June 2017 to May 2018 in linear transects spaced 20 meters apart. We identified 62 bird species, including nine raptors, which is equal to 11.25% of bird species in Iran. In total, 19 residents, five summer visitors, 21 winter visitors and 17 passing migratory birds were identified. The lowest co-occurrence number of species (21–25) was observed from middle June to early October and the maximum number of concurrent species (38–41) were recorded from late November to early January. The Western Barn Owl Tyto alba was the only resident raptor, which is part of an integrated pest management system throughout the year. ASNRUKH’s long-established persistent favorable microclimate supports both resident and migratory birds. In addition, the study area provides food and safety for migratory birds from across the globe as a stopover site.

n recent decades, the rate of extinction of species has been increased continually all over the world and lack of effective and efficient conservation strategies will lead to extinction of a large number of species. Determination of habitat suitability is an essential necessity for management and conservation of wildlife. Suitable habitats play a crucial role in the survival and reproduction of species; therefore, paying more attention to these areas in wildlife management and conservation will result in more effective conservation. In this study, the locations of presence of large carnivores and herbivores in Golestan National Park have been recorded during 2014- 2015 to predict the presence of the species and determine the environmental parameters affecting their presence, also to specify species richness hotspots in this area. For this purpose, the modeling was performed by using the MaxEnt and Gap Analysis methods. The findings show that though the park’s conservative zones do not adequately overlap with suitable habitats of some species such as gazelle and wolf, fortunately, these zones cover a significant proportion of the park’s species richness hotspots. Certainly, modification and extension of the conservative coverage area of zones 1 and 2 to the park’s areas of species richness hotspots containing a richness of 4 to 9 species, also modifying and extending the limits of these zones in favor of species whose habitat suitability has lower overlap with zones 1 and 2 will lead to more efficient conservation in Golestan National Park; therefore, as a result of revising the zoning of Golestan National Park, this goal can be approached in near future.

This research was conducted with the general purpose of the role of educational channels to improve the participation of villagers in environmental protection projects. The population of the study consisted of all farmers in Divandareh city (N = 7931). Using the Cochran sampling formula, 260 of them were selected as samples. To increase the credibility of the findings, 290 questionnaires were distributed by proportional random sampling method. Finally, 274 questionnaires were completed and analyzed. The main instrument of the study was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a group of experts and the reliability of its variables was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α> 0.7). Data analysis was done by SPSSwin18 software. The results of correlation analysis indicated a positive and significant relationship between the dimensions of educational channels (local, national and international) with the participation of villagers. In addition, the results of regression coefficient showed that the educational channels dimensions have a significant positive effect on improving the participation of villagers, which explained 90.08% of the variation of the dependent variable (participation). The results of factor analysis also identified ways to improve the participation of people in environmental protection schemes in strengthening the culture of participation and protection, management and cultural strategies, advisory and awareness strategies, effectiveness and effectiveness, structural and organizational strategy, and improving commitment, and responsibility. In this regard, based on the results of the research, suggestions were made to improve the participation of villagers in environmental protection projects.

Semnan province, one of Iran’s important biodiversity reservoirs for large mammals, especially the Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus), has witnessed a noticeable rate of road expansion along with an associated anthropogenic development. A large percentage (7 out of 50–70) of Asiatic cheetahs has been lost due to vehicle collisions in the region over the last decade. In this study, we employed a well-known spatially-explicit algorithm, adopting kernel density estimation method for calculation collision locations in Tourna Biosphere Reserve. In this research two locations determined as hotspots. One of these points matched with the Asiatic cheetah mortalities. And another one due to carcass feeding behavior matched with striped hyenas, golden jackals, Red fox and grey wolf mortalities. Result showed that two records of Asiatic cheetah crossing were reported in medium and large culverts. We proposed mitigation strategies for large mammals in this protected area such as modification of culverts in hotspots in combination with fencing for crossing carnivores and roadside vegetation clearance in critical seasons for the Persian gazelles in Semnan- Mashhad road.

Previous studies showed that the level of total mercury (T-Hg) in Sanandaj Gheshlagh Reservoir (SGR) water is higher than those limits established by WHO and institute of standard of Iran (i.e., 1 µg/L). Therefore this research was carried out to evaluate the level of T-Hg in SGR plankton biomass as the main source of food which is the most consumed fish in the region and to calculate the mercury biomagnification factor based on published results related to the SGR's silver carp.
Plankton samples were collected during July to December 2009 from three different sampling sites. The level of the T-Hg in plankton biomass was measured using Advanced Mercury Analyzer.
Findings: Mean accumulated T-Hg (± S.E.) in plankton biomass of SGR was 78.21 ± 3.13 on ng g-1 dry weight basis that the highest level was observed in August (86.81 ± 10.9) and the lowest level was observed in September (68 ± 2.53) on ng g-1 dry weight basis. Statistical analysis showed that the amount of accumulated T-Hg was not significantly different between plankton biomass samples during different months (F5, 10 = 0.94, P = 0.49) and among different sites (F2, 10 = 1.19, P = 0.34).
Based on previous studies results in related to the planktivorous fish of SGR and present study results, occurring of mercury biomagnification in the food chain of this water reservoir was proven and it seems that the planktonic biomass of fresh water ecosystem have a considerable capacity to transfer a significant amount of mercury to the higher trophic levels.

Iranian black bear (Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus) (IBB) is a critically endangered subspecies in southeastern Iran which is threatened by population decline and habitat fragmentation. This study was carried out with the aim of identifying habitat blocks, habitat patches and habitat corridors of the IBB in Hormozgan province. Field survey was conducted to assess habitat blocks. Habitat modeling was carried out by using MaxEnt and habitat patches and habitat corridors were modelled by using CorridorDesigner. 9 habitat blocks were identified for the IBB in Hormozgan province. The largest population patch of the IBB was about 1041 km2 that covered the most important habitat block (i.e. Bashagard area). Habitat blocks of Bashagard area and Rudan area are linked by the most important and almost the highest length of corridor with about 70 km. Although the density of roads in the all habitat corridors was low (27.73 m/km2), most of habitat corridors were crossed by roads and roads create insecure condition for IBB movement through habitat corridors. Stepping stones, as the cover area for the IBBs, created 13% proportion of all habitat corridors. Conservation of main habitat blocks as well as habitat corridors of this endangered subspecies in Hormozgan province should be taken into consideration by the Department of Environment in Iran.

The Present study was carried out to track and calculate Biomagnification Factor (BMF) of total mercury (T-Hg) between two different trophic levels (i.e., plankton and a planktivorous fish) in a fresh water grazing food chain.
Experimental organisms were planktonic biomass and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) as a planktivorous fish. Silver carp samples were obtained from randomly selected points from different sampling stations. The concentrations of T-Hg in collected samples were determined by Advanced Mercury Analyzer.
Means of T-Hg in planktonic biomass and muscle tissue of silver carp were 78.21 ± 3.13 and 367.12 ± 26.43 ng g-1 dry weights, respectively. Mean T-Hg in plankton, sampled fish during the study months and amongst the sampling stations did not show significant differences. The BMFHg(plankton-fish) was differ among months; moreover, calculated BMF was greater than 1 during study months, which means biomagnification was occurring in SGR. The concentration of T-Hg in the muscle tissue of all fish samples that weighed more than 850 gr was higher than the acceptable limits based on EPA (300 ng g-1) and WHO (500 ng g-1) standards. The highest BMFHg was observed in August
It seems that mercury pollution of SGR has a natural source. The calculated BMFs were greater than 1 and the concentrations of T-Hg in muscle tissues of those samples weighing more than 850 gr were higher than FAO and WHO standards. Therefore, consumption of the SGR's silver carp must be accompanied by serious health considerations.