Interspecific variation in thermoregulation among three sympatric bats inhabiting a hot, semi-arid environment

Central mechanisms for thermoregulation in a hot environment.

Homeothermic animals regulate body temperature by autonomic and behavioral thermoeffector responses. The regulation is conducted mainly in the brain. Especially, the preoptic area (PO) in the hypothalamus plays a key role. The PO has abundant warm-sensitive neurons, sending excitatory signals to the brain regions involved in heat loss mechanisms, and inhibitory signals to those involved in heat...

Groundwater level fluctuation forecasting Using Artificial Neural Network in Arid and Semi-Arid Environment

In arid and semi-arid environments, groundwater plays a significant role in the ecosystem. In the last decades, groundwater levels have decreased due to the increasing demand for water, weak irrigation management and soil damage. For the effective management of groundwater, it is important to model and predict fluctuations in groundwater levels. In this study, groundwater table in Kashan plain ...

A land covers classification system for environment assessment in semi-arid regions of Iran

Land degradation is a major danger which restricting different areas of Iran. Systematic description of the environmentfor detection of environmental changes and the human-related causes and responses is essential in land cover changestudy. Use of land cover data allow detection of where certain changes occur, what type of change, as well as how theland is changing. Existing systems for classif...

Soil water regime and water concervation efficiency in a non-irrigated semi-arid environment

Runoff and sediment yield modeling using WEPP in a semi-arid environment (Case study: Orazan Watershed)

Water erosion is a major environmental problem in many parts of the world. Majority of semi-arid countries are concerned because of their specific climate and soils sensitivity, but also because of the recent intensification of human activities and agricultural practices. Accurate estimation of water erosion for various land-use and climate scenarios is so an important key to define sustainable...