Faraham Ahmadzadeh

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Verified

Faraham verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

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• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at Shahid Beheshti University

In concert with climate change, our planet faces unprecedented biodiversity loss, with half of all species at risk of extinction. Despite global conservation efforts, the biodiversity crisis continues to outpace these actions. The Global Biodiversity Framework seeks to halt this trend by expanding protected areas (PAs) to cover 30 % of terrestrial...

Climate change significantly impacts species distributions and adaptability. This study investigates the evolutionary history, genetic variation, and potential distribution shifts of the Caspian bent-toed gecko (Tenuidactylus caspius) in Iran under past, present, and future climate conditions. Phylogenetic analysis revealed two distinct subclades w...

Previous studies have shown instances where aquatic ecosystems in Iran have experienced water loss even in the absence of upstream dams, while other ecosystems with upstream dams did not show significant declines in water levels. Thus, attributing the drying of these ecosystems solely to climate change in the watershed is not definitive, especially...

Mesalina watsonana is a species complex with a wide distribution range in Iran, some parts of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northwest India. Recent molecular and morphological investigations detected remarkable hidden diversity among the geographical populations of the complex, more likely referring to the persistence of undescribed spec...

Our research endeavors to evaluate the precise ramifications of climate change on Iran’s protected regions, utilizing species distribution modeling to anticipate the effects of climate change on 394 bird species, 157 plant species, 72 reptiles, and 20 mammals across two climate change scenarios: SSP245 and SSP585 in 2070. Subsequently, we employed...

This study explores how climate variables influenced the evolution and diversification of Neurergus newts within the Irano‐Anatolian biodiversity hotspot. We use a dated phylogenetic tree and climatic niche models to analyze their evolutionary history and ecological preferences. Using genetic data from nuclear (KIAA) and mitochondrial (16s and 12s)...

This study examines the impact of fire incidents on wildlife and habitats in the western oak forests of Iran (Zagros region). These forests are globally recognized for their exceptional biodiversity but are frequently threatened by wildfires. To achieve this, the study uses the space–time scan statistics permutation (STSSP) model to identify areas...

The Persian fallow deer or Mesopotamian fallow Deer ( Dama mesopotamica , Brook 1875), a species of significant ecological importance, had faced the threat of extinction in Iran. One conservation strategy involved the translocation of Persian deer to enclosed areas across Iran, where they were afforded protection from external threats and provided...

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 moveme...

Objective Insects play an important role in forest soil biodiversity and respond to vegetation changes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the biodiversity of soil insects in the Hyrcanian forests using DNA barcoding and to investigate the effect of vegetation in forestry areas on soil insects. Methods In this research, soil insects were c...

Introduction Land snails play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem sustainability within their habitats. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of their communities is vital for ecological studies and the development of effective conservation strategies. In this study, land snail communities inhabiting the Hyrcanian forest were identified...

The impact of climate fluctuations on the genetic diversity and distribution of species is of particular concern for large mammals that are already at risk of extinction. In this study, we investigated the genetic status of populations, the evolutionary relationships, and the current and future state of population dispersion of the goitered gazelle...

The monogeneric family Calomyscidae includes the brush-tailed mice, genus Calomyscus, which have a Palearctic distribution ranging from the Hindu Kush Mountains in western Pakistan to the eastern Mediterranean region. Zagros Mountains—stretching from northwest to south of Iran—was assumed for long as the range of a single species, Calomyscus bailwa...

Mesalina watsonana is a well-known species of small lacertid lizards with an extensive species distribution that exhibits high genetic diversity. The species has a wide distribution range in Iran, some parts of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northwest India. This study aims to generate phylogenetic and phylogeographic evidence to derive t...

Macroinvertebrates play a crucial role in maintaining soil structure, ecosystem function, and ecosystem services. They are highly sensitive to human disturbances and are used as bioindicators to assess interference with soil components. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of secondary forestation on soil macroinvertebr...

Abstract Introduction: The Caspian Hyrcanian forests are a habitat with ancient growth of temperate broadleaf trees that spread along the Alborz Mountain range's northern slopes and near the southern borders of the Caspian Sea. However, human activities have significantly reduced forest cover, and identifying species diversity, forest structure, a...

Effectively managing and mitigating “human-wildlife conflict” (HWC) by adjusting the use of cultivated land to realize the coexistence of humans and wildlife plays an important role in protecting biodiversity, ensuring food security, improving cultivated land use efficiency, and improving the livelihoods of community residents in nature reserves. M...

The objective of this research was to assess the genetic diversity and phylogeography of Bombus terrestris and examine the historical events that shaped its contemporary genetic structures using the COI mitochondrial marker. Specimens of the species were collected from its distribution range alongside the Alborz Mountain range, and GenBank sequence...

Earthworms play a crucial role in the invertebrate community of soil by contributing to the belowground biomass and biogeochemical cycle. Environmental stresses, such as human activities and land use changes, have been found to negatively affect their abundance and diversity. To investigate the impact of agricultural land use and pastures on earthw...

Oligochaetes are the most abundant benthic taxa in aquatic ecosystems that play an important role in food webs. The present study aims to assess the diversity and origin of Eiseniella tetraedra as a non-native species in the Lar National Park of Iran and also its response to current and future climate change. To this, we obtained the specimen from...

Human development has reached more than 80% of the earth's surface and in Iran has had devastating effects on aquatic ecosystems such as wetlands. In addition to human development, climate change is also an important factor that threatens the health of Iran's wetlands. Very few studies have examined the major threats to Iran's international wetland...

Land snails play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem sustainability within their habitats. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of their communities is vital for ecological studies and the development of effective conservation strategies. In this study, we employed DNA barcoding (COI gene) to identify land snails inhabiting the Hyrcania...

In this study aimed to investigate the impact of climate fluctuations on the genetic diversity and distribution of Gazella subgutturosa, a species of large mammals at risk of extinction. The research employed 109 mtDNA sequences (cyt b) and species distribution modeling to analyze the genetic status of populations, their evolutionary relationships,...

Oligochaetes are the most abundant benthic taxa in aquatic ecosystems that play an important role in food webs and energy transmission. The aim of the current study is to assess the origin and diversity of Eiseniella tetraedra a non-native species of Lar National Park in Alborz Mountain ranges of Iran and also its response to current and future cli...

Non-native and invasive species are the second leading cause of species extinction and one of the major threats to freshwater ecosystems. Hemiculter leucisculus is one of the introduced species of Iran’s aquatic ecosystems for many years (1967) that has been reported from Iran in the Anzali wetland for the first time. The aim of the current study i...

Introduction: Climate change along with human development created additional pressure on ecosystems, so in many cases it has caused a decrease in biodiversity. Global climate change continues as a global crisis. Climate change does not affect all habitats and species equally. Rather, large species are more affected by climate change and habitat cha...

Non-native and invasive species are the second leading cause of species extinction and one of the major threats to freshwater ecosystems. Hemiculter leucisculus is one of the introduced species of Iran's aquatic ecosystems for many years (1967) that has been reported from Iran in the Anzali wetland for the first time. The aim of the current study i...

Mountains play a key role in forming biodiversity by acting both as barriers to gene flow among populations and as corridors for the migration of populations adapted to the conditions prevailing at high elevations. The Anatolian and the Zagros Mountains are located in the Alpine-Himalayan belt. The formation of these mountains has influenced the di...

The taxonomy of oysters along the northern coasts of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman is not well recognized. We present a phylogenetic analysis of oyster species in these regions. We combined morphological and molecular techniques to obtain the identity of oysters to the lowest taxonomic levels. Analysis of partial nucleotide sequences from m...

Climate change is a grave danger for humans and a looming threat to Earth's biodiversity in the twenty-first century. Assessing the vulnerability of species to climate change is critical for practical conservation efforts. Due to their limited dispersal ability, amphibians are one of the most vulnerable groups of vertebrates to climate change. Amon...

Climate change is currently considered a serious threat for many species and is recognized as one of the most important factors in global biodiversity loss. Among animal groups, amphibians are known to be among the most sensitive groups of vertebrates to climate change due to their inability to travel long distances, and mountain habitat species ar...

Invasive freshwater fish species are considered a global threat to freshwater biodiversity and one of the leading factors responsible for species extinction. The freshwater species of genus Carassius are dispersed either naturally or due to human activities almost around the globe. The species identification in this genus using conventional morphol...

Wildlife habitats provide several essential services, and humans’ needs for development cause a growing conflict with wildlife. Formulating and prioritizing strategies improve conflict management and save time and costs. We used the experts’ opinions to formulate strategies. 45 management strategies were extracted that formed a decision matrix. The...

The Urar Brush-tailed Mouse, Calomyscus urartensis Vorontsov & Kartavseva, 1979, is distributed in the Lesser Caucasus and is reported only from the type locality in Nakhjivan, Azerbaijan, and two localities in Azerbaijan provinces, Iran. To evaluate genetic structure and karyologic variation a combination of molecular (cytochrome b and cytochrome...

Oysters are widespread throughout the intertidal regions, and accurate identification and monitoring of their ecological status are still difficult due to their high level of plasticity. Anthropogenic activities facilitate oyster dispersal to new habitats through the shipping and elimination of existing barriers. In this study, a combination of mor...

Acanthodactylus boskianus is a widespread species in Northern Africa and Western Asia. In this study, we used morphological and genetic approaches to study populations of A. boskianus from the Zagros Mountains in western Iran, the easternmost limit of the species' distribution. Our morphological and genetic data indicate that populations of A. bosk...

Past climatic events are one of the major drivers for divergence of species that could shape the present biodiversity and species dispersal patterns. Irano-Anatolian region is one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world. This region is predicted to serve various refugia during Quaternary glaciations. The eastern three-lined lizard (Lacerta media...

Iran has a diverse range of mammals. Climate change can alter the species' range, leading to expansion or contraction, and affect the IUCN threatened species' distribution. We assessed the effects of climate change on the climatic niche and coverage of the protected areas for 16 threatened mammal species in Iran. The species’ presence-only occurren...

Climate change has important effects on patterns of population persistence, connectivity, and divergence. We used mtDNA sequences and species distribution modeling to assess the impact of climatic changes in the past (Last Glacial Maximum (LGM: 21 Kya) and Mid-Holocene (6 Kya)), recent (1970-2000), and future (2070) on the phylogeography and spatia...

Green lizards of the genus Lacerta have served as excellent models for studying the impact of Pleistocene climatic oscillations on genetic structures. The Caspian green lizard, Lacerta strigata, occupies various habitats across the Caucasus and the South Caspian Sea, with the Hyrcanian Forests and north of the Alborz Mountains forming the core of t...

Reef-building corals are in obligate symbiosis with dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae. The partnership, however, is prone to breakdown as a result of thermal stress, which leads to coral bleaching. According to the Adaptive Bleaching Hypothesis, corals’ recovery from bleaching is profoundly influenced by forming stable associations with...

This checklist includes all recognized lizard species reported from Iran until September, 2020. Based on our annotated checklist, Iran is home to 171 lizard species. These 171 lizard species belonged to ten families and 47 genera. Of 171 recognized lizard species in Iran 101 species (59.06 %) were diurnal, 70 species nocturnal (40.93 %) and 62 spec...

Plate tectonics constitute one of the main mechanisms of biological diversification on Earth, often being associated with cladogenetic events at different phylogenetic levels, as well as with exchange of faunas and floras across previously isolated biogeographic regions. North Africa and Arabia share a complex geological history that dates back to...

Currently, conflict with wildlife is one of the most important problems of farmers and stockbreeders in Mazandaran province which leads to damaging human life and property (destruction of livestock and crops). Conflict with wildlife can lead to farmers' refusal and discouragement of farming and livestock rising. It will result in an increase in the...

Identification and protection of habitats are essential to protect wildlife. Identifying the habitats used by some mammal species with low population density requires the application of practical techniques in this field. Molecular studies on mammalian remains in nature and genome sequencing have facilitated the process of identifying habitats as w...

Spatial gradients of species richness can be shaped by the interplay between historical and ecological factors. They might interact in particularly complex ways in heterogeneous mountainous landscapes with strong climatic and geological contrasts. We mapped the distribution of 171 lizard species to investigate species richness patterns for all spec...

Many populations of Caspian Sea trout (Salmo caspius)—a nationally endangered species in Iran—have been extirpated or depleted due to anthropogenic impacts. The Lar National Park hosts large populations of Caspian Sea trout, which have not been subject to fisheries management programs before, but the population/s also face different human-related t...

We investigated the phylogeographic structure of the genus Saara and considered whether the Zagros Mountains range influences the gene flow and dispersal at the landscape scale between the Iranian Saara species including S. asmussi in the central Iranian plateau and S. loricata in the Mesopotamian lowlands. Phylogenetic analyses clearly showed thre...

There are different methods to investigate the effects of climatic fluctuations on the biota, two of which, molecular phylogeography and SDM, are the most useful tools to trace the past climate induced modifications on species’ geographic distributions. In this study, seven samples were collected from the species distribution range in Iran for the...

Paradactylodon, a genus of Hynobidae, is distributed in mountainous regions of the Middle East. This genus comprises three species, Paradactylodon mustersi (Afghanistan), Paradactylodon persicus, and Paradactylodon gorganensis (Iran). Initially, P. persicus was reported from Talysh Mountains, and afterward, P. gorganensis was described from the eas...

The presence of exotic earthworms has recently become a major concern and drawn significant attention to their potential effects on ecosystems and native invertebrate fauna. Although the occurrence of invasive annelids has been well recorded, their settlement in Iran is poorly documented. To investigate the biodiversity of aquatic Oligochaeta and t...

We describe a new species of Lacertid lizard of the genus Eremias from the border of the northeastern side of Markazi Province to the western side of Tehran Province in Iran. Eremias fahimii sp. nov. is part of the Eremias subgenus (or morphotype) by virtue of lacking lateral fringes on the fourth toe, having movable eyelids, a lower nasal shield t...

Introduction of non-native fish species has been criticized as one of the major threats to freshwater ecosystems. During recent years, the cyprinid fish genus Carassius has been the subject of various studies in terms of introduction biology and ecology. The taxonomy and identification of described species in the genus Carassius is still ambiguous....

Brush-tailed mice, family Calomyscidae, are endemic to southwestern Asia and are represented by eight described species and three additional lineages. Although this family includes only a single genus, Calomyscus, in which several molecular phylogenies were recovered as a monophyletic clade, no updated evolutionary survey has been undertaken until...

Identification and conservation of biodiversity hotspots is one of the most effective methods in conservation. This objective is accomplished by recording the information on the presence and absence of wildlife species. To document biodiversity hotspots, efficient techniques are required to record the information on the presence and absence of spec...

The present study provides morphological and molecular data on the Indian frogfish, Antennarius indicus, recorded from the Iranian waters of the northern Gulf of Oman. A single specimen was captured from a coral reef at ca. 5m depth in the Chabahar Bay. Species identification was performed based on external morphology and sequence analysis of 16S a...

Climatic conditions changing over time and space shape the evolution of organisms at multiple levels, including temperate lizards in the family Lacertidae. Here we reconstruct a dated phylogenetic tree of 262 lacertid species based on a supermatrix relying on novel phylogenomic datasets and fossil calibrations. Diversification of lacertids was acco...

The Persian squirrel (Sciurus anomalus) is a keystone species in the Middle East’s woodlands and oak forests. We investigated the phylogeography of the species using two partial mitochondrial (D-loop, Cyt b) and two nuclear (Rag1, Cmyc) markers with extensive sampling throughout the range of the species in the Irano-Anatolian region. Phylogenetic a...

The Persian squirrel (Sciurus anomalus) is a keystone species in the Middle East's woodlands and oak forests. We investigated the phylogeography of the species using two partial mitochondrial (D-loop, Cyt b) and two nuclear (Rag1, Cmyc) markers with extensive sampling throughout the range of the species in the Irano-Anatolian region. Phylogenetic a...

The barnacle Amphibalanus eburneus (Gould, 1841), native to the northwest Atlantic Ocean, became nearly cosmopolitan due to extensive shipping activities. In the Caspian Sea, A. eburneus have been reported solely from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. The current study provides robust evidence of its occurrence in Iran. We observed that the previously v...

Abstract In the recent decades, a lot of Researches which are focused on Predicting the geographical distribution potential of species with goal Identifying hot habitat areas. Iran has a specific situation and varied habitats. As well as, there is a limitation in management and conservation in Iran, so conserving of Hot habitat areas is the best wa...

Today, it is well-known that predicting the distribution potential of endangered species by using spatial modeling methods is highly beneficial and using these methods can greatly contribute to ecological conservation and management. Rana pesudodalmatina is one of the Iranian endemic amphibian species of Iran. In order to predict the potential geog...

The meadow lizard Darevskia praticola (Eversmann, 1834) displays a wide distribution range from the Western Balkans and Caucasus to the Hyrcanian forest in Iran. Based on previous studies, four subspecies have been described (D. p. praticola, D. p. pontica, D. p. hyrcanica and D. p. loriensis), but molecular evidence suggests two main phylogenetic...

Photo of Elysia cf. tomentosa sp. 5 collected by Omid Alizadeh in association with the seaweed, Caulerpa sertularioides, in the northern Persian Gulf (Bandar Abbas, Iran)

Introduction: Carnivores have always been exposed to threat-inducing processes because of their placement at the top of the food pyramid. Nowadays, approximately 65% of carnivores are listed as Critically Endangered (CR) or Vulnerable (V) on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. On a global scale, in the order Carnivora the Hyaenidae family is t...

Table S1- Provisional identifications, sample codes, collection details and NCBI accession numbers for specimens used in "Molecular confirmation of the occurrence of Elysia cf. tomentosa (Mollusca: Heterobranchia) in the Persian Gulf".

The molluscan fauna of the Persian Gulf has recently been relatively well documented, yet there are few records of heterobranch sea slugs (opisthobranchs) from the Arabian parts and no report from the Iranian waters. Here we report for the first time the occurrence of one of these molluscs in the northern Persian Gulf (Bandar Abbas, Iran). Sacoglos...

Introduction: Currently, conflict with wildlife is one of the most important problems of farmers and stockbreeders in Mazandaran province which leads to damage to human life and property (destruction of livestock and crops), this, in turn, can lead to farmers' refusal and discouragement of farming and livestock raising, which will result in an incr...

Morphological and DNA data support that the East Mediterranean snake-eyed skink Ablepharus kitaibelii represents a species complex that includes four species A. kitaibelii, A. budaki, Α. chernovi, and A. rueppellii, highlighting the need of its taxonomic reevaluation. Here, we used Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood methods to estimate the phylogeneti...

Darevskia rock lizards include both sexual and parthenogenetic species, mostly distributed in the heterogeneous and ecologically diverse Caucasus. The parthenogenetic species originated via directional hybridogenesis, with only some of the sexual species known to serve as parentals. However, it remains unclear when and where these events happened a...

Global warming is expected to cause several modifications to physical environments, and sea level rise is a certain outcome. However, assessment of the potential impacts caused by sea level rise on biodiversity is still emerging. Therefore, we assessed the combined impact of global warming and sea level rise on the potential distribution of 19 coas...

Aim The ocellated lizards of the genus Timon, comprising six species that are distributed across continental Asia, Europe and Africa, offer an interesting model to study the evolution of ecological niches through comparative phyloclimatic analysis. Our study provides insights into the evolutionary history of the ocellated lizards and helps to under...

We collected 25 fecal pellets of yellow-headed agama, Laudakia nupta fusca (Blanford, 1876) for analysis in laboratory from Keshar Protected Area and Homag Protected Area in South Iran. We estimated frequency of occurrence (FO%), dry volume (V%) and importance value (IV%) of each food item. Finally, we identified 9 food items (6 animal items and 3...

The Persian Lizard, Iranolacerta brandtii, was until recently considered to be restricted to north-western Iran (Azerbaijan and Esfahan provinces). However, two recent studies have revealed the existence of populations in Eastern Anatolia, extending the range of this species for about 230km westwards. The fragmented distribution of this species has...

In June 2013, we rediscovered Neurergus derjugini derjugini in Kurdistan province in west of Iran in elevation of 1682 m above sea level — during biodiversity survey after its first description report by Nesterov in 1916. Some specimens, both adult and larvae were found and some characteristic including some of the salamander morphological characte...

The endangered Euphrates soft‐shelled turtle, Rafetus euphraticus , is endemic to the Mesopotamian River Basin in the Middle East. Within recent decades, populations of this aquatic species have been heavily depleted and severely fragmented owing to habitat alteration and destruction by drainage and hydroelectricity dam constructions. Continuing ha...

AimWe explored the phylogenetic relationships of species of Mesalina, using one nuclear and two mitochondrial loci. This genus of lacertid lizards is widely distributed in North Africa and the Middle East and our goal was to develop a scenario capable of explaining the current distribution and evolutionary patterns within the genus in the context o...

A molecular phylogeny of the sphaerodactylid geckos of the genus Pristurus is inferred based on an alignment of 1845 base pairs (bp) of concatenated mitochondrial (12S) and nuclear (acm4, cmos, rag1 and rag2) genes for 80 individuals, representing 18 of the 23–26 species, and the three subspecies of P. rupestris. The results indicate that P. rupest...