Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) are generally considered important active biogeochemical pools of total carbon and nitrogen. Many studies have documented the contributions of soil fauna to litter decomposition, but the effects of the soil fauna on labile substances (i.e., DOC and TDN) in litter during early decomposition are not completely clear. Therefore, a f...

background:ticks are obligatory blood sucking arthropodsthat can transmit important pathogens. objectives: thedistribution and diversity of ticks fauna were last studied in the northof iran in 2007. mazandaran province has a humid climate, whichis favourable to animal husbandry such as sheep breeding. due tohumid climate, the likelihood of exposure to tick infestation isincreasing. the aim of t...

the fauna of the superfamily bombylioidea was studied in alborz province, iran during 2012. two families (bombyliidae and mythicomyiidae), eight genera and ten species were identified, of which two species, exoprospora dispar loew, 1869; parageron lutescens (bezzi, 1925), are new records for the iranian fauna. an identification key for the species of the family mythicomyiidae known from iran is...

A new and the first mammal fossil locality from the Zagros Basin of Iran is reported here. The fossil locality, known as Dimeh, is located in the Lorestan province, west of Iran. The fauna includes abundant bovid cranial remains, mostly representing boselaphines and palaeoryxoids, as well as gazelles and spiral horned antelopes. Hipparionine horses similar to Hippotherium group are also represe...

Spiders are poorly studied in Iran, based on the latest studies the spider fauna of Iran includes 394 species in 126 genera belonging to 36 families. Considering the climatic and geographical variation of Iran, it can be assumed that Iran has a rich spider fauna compared to the adjacent countries. The present study seeks to take a new step in the ongoing active research of Iranian spider fauna....

to examine the seroprevalence of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (zvl) among rodents in azarshahr county, and to assess the possible association of infection among rodents in respect with transmission/prevalence of the disease among children, a survey was conducted during 2003-2004. azarshahr county is an endemic region for leishmaniasis and this research is the first study in determining the h...

Understanding the spatial distribution of species sheds light on the group's biogeographical history, offers clues to the drivers of diversity, and helps to guide conservation strategies. Here, we compile geographic range information for South America's diverse rodents, whose 14 families comprise ~50% of the continent's mammalian species. The South American rodent fauna is dominated by independ...

The composition of the arthropod fauna foraging within the canopy of Argyrodendron actinophyllum Edlin (Sterculiaceae) in a subtropical rainforest near Brisbane, Australia, was investigated during a 2-year field study. Collecting methods included flight interception traps, restricted canopy fogging, and hand-collecting. Over 50 000 canopy arthropods were collected and about 760 species sorted, ...

An updated checklist of the scorpion fauna of Iran, as well as a brief history of taxonomic research on scorpions of Iran is presented. The checklist is based on records of scorpion species whose presence has been confirmed in Iran through field expeditions, examination of scorpion collections, literature review, and personal communications from researchers. The scorpion fauna consists of 51 sp...

Litter decomposition during winter can provide essential nutrients for plant growth in the subsequent growing season, which plays important role in preventing the expansion of dry areas and maintaining the stability of ecotone ecosystems. However, limited information is currently available on the contributions of soil fauna to litter decomposition during winter in such ecosystems. Therefore, a ...