Journal of Wildlife and Biodiversity
Volume:6 Issue: 4, Autumn 2022

The article discusses the features of eggs,the confinement of oviposition to certain stages of embryonic development,and its adaptive significance in some oviparous reptile species in Azerbaijan.Information is reported on the size and numbers of eggs in clutches, stages of development of embryos at the time of oviposition, as well as the timing of natural incubation of eggs in the Mediterranean tortoise (Testudo graeca ibera) and the Levantine viper (Macrovipera lebetina obtusa), including providinginformation on the size and number of eggs in clutches, as well as the relationship between the number of eggs in clutches and their size and weight. It has been experimentally proven that it is by the day of oviposition that embryos acquire the greatest resistance to temperature factors of the external environment. The embryos are most protected in eggs of a turtle with a hard shell (Testudo graeca), eggs are laid in the early stages of embryonic development(beginning and middle of gastrulation). However, in the Levantine viper (Macrovipera lebetina obtusa), the eggs are covered only with a fibrous membrane and the laying of eggs occurs at later stages of embryonic development (the stage of laying the tongue). It was also identified that in both species the ranges of morphological variability of embryos at the time of oviposition, in populations living at different heights, are the same. The tactical variability in the reproduction of oviparous reptiles is thought to be a result of their evolutionary adaptation to land reproduction.The incubation of eggs in the external environment lasted 80-85 days in the tortoise and 50-55 days in the viper. This is becausein turtles, eggs are laid earlier, and in the Levantine viper at later stages of embryo development. In the Levantine viper, a significant part of the development of the embryos (30-35 days) occurs while the eggs are in the oviducts of the female.

Sharks and rays, besides their economic importance, are ecologically important organisms with a diverse group.After a pregnant Squatinasp.was captured as by-catch, Akyol et al. (2015) published this species as Squatina squatinawhile the COI and 16S rDNA analysis demonstrated that the species is S. aculeata. This complexity revealed that utilizing morphologic identificationsolelymight not be enough to distinguish these two Squatinaspecies accurately. We aim to compare morphologic and molecular techniques during species identification of critically endangered S. squatinaand S. aculeata.Two different gene regions were used for molecular identification of 3 Squatinaspecimensobtained from the Aegean coasts of Turkey. Sequence analysis of two gene regions wasconducted after PCR analysis. An aligneddata set was used for creating phylogenetic trees.The results demonstrated that the previously identified S. squatinaspecimen was revealed as S. aculeataafter molecular analysis. Two other specimenswhich were morphologically identified as S. squatinademonstratedthe same results both with molecular and morphological analysis. Our results suggest that adopting morphological identification as the only tool is not enough to accurately determine the Squatinaspecies; both morphological and molecular tools should be used for taxonomical identification of shark species, especially the endangered ones,to assuretheir conservation status.

The order Rodentia is the largest among other groups of mammals in terms of the number of species and number of individuals and is widely seen in different types of habitats. Various factors affect the spatial distribution of these animals. In this study, according to the same conditions in the two areas in terms of topography, soil, and vegetation type, the distribution of rodent nests in the enclosed and non-enclosed regions of woody pasture in the pistachio forest pasture of Khajeh Kalat in Khorasan Razavi province of Iran has been studied. For this purpose, sample plots with the variable region that had at least 15 trees were used. Inside of each sample plot and under the crown of any tree, rodent nests were identified and counted. Finally, the data obtained from the total sample plots have been analyzed. The results showed that the number of rodent nests in the two regions was significantly at 99% confidence level related to each other, as well as in elevation, slope and aspect was significantly at 99% confidence. Rodent nest distribution is also related to the soil characteristics of the region, and rodents prefer deeper, more fertile soils with a lighter texture and better drainage so that they can dig in easily and rain does not flood their nests. Slope also has an effective role in runoff, infiltration, flood intensity, erodibility, and sedimentation which are not ineffective in rodent release. The north and south aspect are more suitable for rodents due to their moisture and shading and better soil for nesting, and therefore the number of nests in the north and south aspects is higher than in other aspects. Of course, other factors also affect rodent distribution, including ecological relationships,and environmental variables between species, and animals.

Community perceptions and attitudes towards the parks and wildlife in Kibale and Queen Elizabeth Conservation Areas, Uganda are explored. Wedetermined local community perceptions and attitudes through a household survey from May 2018 to April 2019 using literature review, focused group discussions, Geographical Information System/remote sensing, and semi-structured interviews from 208 respondents randomly selected from local communities living adjacent to the wildlife-protectedareas. Socio-demographic factors mainly gender, age, education level, and distance of household from the park boundary influence (at α=0.05 and 0.001) local community perceptions and attitudes towards wildlife conservation. Local community perceptions of the park and wildlife were influenced (at α=0.05 and 0.001) by community knowledge and awareness of the existence and importance of the park, its attributes, wildlife resources, and benefits. Local community attitudes were influenced (at α=0.05 and 0.001) by the level of conservation education and awareness, resource access and use, handling of victims of illegal entry into the parks, and the costs incurred from invasion by wild animals. We conclude that socio-demographic factors, community knowledge and awareness ofthe existence of the park, its attributes and resources, community benefits, and costs incurred by the community as a result of invasion by wild animals and vermin, influence community perceptions and attitudes towards conservation of parks and wildlife. Thewildlife agencyshould integrate local community perceptions and attitudes intothe park management plans, intensify wildlife conservation education and awareness programs, and provide incentives to local communities to improve community perceptions and attitudes towardsthe park and wildlife.

Shamkirchay is one of the transboundary rivers of Azerbaijan and one of the main right tributaries of the Kura River, the main water body. For the first time, from November 2018 to March 2020, macrozoobenthos, an important component of the river’shydrofauna, werestudied comprehensively, depending on the seasons. During the study, 91 species of macrobenthicorganisms were identified, the development of which varied between 19-91 species, depending on the season. At the same time, we have set some hydrochemical indicators. The status of the river and its distribution on saprobic organisms and their biocenoses were also investigated during the observations.

Although the fire salamander, Salamandra infraimmaculata, is relatively distributed in a broad area in the MiddleEast, it lives in a narrow area in southeast and south Anatolia in Turkey. The habitats of the species have been downgraded day by day, and its IUCN category is listed as "NT, and the population trend isdecreasing. Within the scope of this study, a model was created with the existing locality records of the species using ecological niche modeling. As a result of this model, the current and future distribution of the species were compared. The results obtained from the analyzes made within the scope of this study showed that the current probable distribution of the species coincides with the existing locality records. However, for possible climatechange scenarios, the possible future distribution of the species will be thought to be negatively affected by the increase in the greenhouse gas effect, the change in the amount of carbon dioxide,and the increase of many harmful gas concentrations in the atmosphere. If all four climate scenarios proposed in this study in the future occur sequentially, the species will have to limit or change its range, and even become will be extinct in some areas. Species conservation action plans should be initiated, and local governments should take necessary measures to prevent this from happening.

There are numerous published datarelated to the taxonomic structureand distributionofone of the most diverse and taxonomically confusingIranianlizards,the genus Phrynocephalus.The genus Phrynocephalus has a close relationship with genera Stellagama, Paralaudakia,and Laudakia. There are about 10-12species of this monophyletic genus in desert regions of Iran.This study aimsto provide a review and a brief comparison of taxonomic changesas well as the distributionof the Iranian PlateauPhrynocephalusspecies.