Habitat characterisation is a pivotal step of any animal ecology study. The choice of variables used to describe habitats is crucial and need to be relevant to the ecology and behaviour of the species, in order to reflect biologically meaningful distribution patterns. In many species, acoustic communication is critical to individuals' interactions, and it is expected that ambient acoustic condi...

The peninsula effect predicts that the number of species should decline from the base of a peninsula to the tip. However, evidence for the peninsula effect is ambiguous, as different analytical methods, study taxa, and variations in local habitat or regional climatic conditions influence conclusions on its presence. We address this uncertainty by using two analytical methods to investigate the ...

Structural complexity, a form of habitat heterogeneity, influences the structure and function of ecological communities, generally supporting increased species density, richness, and diversity. Recent research, however, suggests the most complex habitats may not harbor the highest density of individuals and number of species, especially in areas with elevated human influence. Understanding nuan...

The physical structure of vegetation influences diversity, interactions, movement, and thermoregulation of animals. Vegetation structure might be a good indicator of habitat requirements of generalist predators, such as dragonflies and damselflies (order Odonata), and thereby affect species diversity. Odonates use aquatic and terrestrial habitats during larval and adult life stages, respectivel...

Knowledge of habitat requirements of aquatic animals plays an important role in fisheries and protection programs of aquatic ecosystems. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the suitability indexes of habitat use and habitat suitability index (HSI) of Barbus cyri in its distribution range in Tootkabon River. A number of environmental variables, including elevation, water depth, river ...

The relationship between some habitat factors and fish assemblage was analyzed in the Taleghan River, Alborz Province, Iran. Fish specimens from thirty-three sites were sampled by electrofishing device in October 2014. The habitat parameters, including elevation (m), water depth (cm), river width (m), river slope (%), current velocity (m.s-1), number of large stone (> 15 cm), average stone diam...

This study aimed to identify the most important physical variables affecting the distribution of four range plants species (Tamarix aphylla, Calligonum comosum, Prosopis spicigera and Salsola rigida) habitats and to prepare potential habitat map of the species using Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) method in rangelands of Jiroft city, Kerman province, located in SE Iran. To this end, sampling of vegeta...