Forests remain an important resource in Iran, as most of the livelihood activities local communities, especially semi-arid environment Zagros forests, are dependent on forest resources. The aim this study was to identify type and extent dependency. Semi-structured interviews questionnaires were used collect data from 170 households Central Zagros. Results show that using firewood for fuel non-f...

A classic example of ecophysiological adaptation is the observation that animals from hot arid environments have lower basal metabolic rates (BMRs, ml O2min-1) than those from non-arid (luxuriant) ones. However, the term 'arid' conceals within it a multitude of characteristics including extreme ambient temperatures (Ta, degrees C) and low annual net primary productivities (NPPs, gCm-2), both of...

Salinization is an important and increasingly prevalent issue which has broad and profound effects on plant survival and distribution pattern. To understand the patterns and potential drivers of leaf traits in saline environments, we determined the soil properties, leaf morphological traits (specific leaf area, SLA, and leaf dry matter content, LDMC), leaf chemical traits (leaf carbon, C, nitro...

The rapid expansion of deserts in recent decades as a result of human actions combined with climatic changes has highlighted the necessity to understand biological processes in arid environments. Whereas physical processes and the biology of flora and fauna have been relatively well studied in marginally used arid areas, knowledge of desert soil micro-organisms remains fragmentary. The objectiv...

For ectotherms, environmental temperatures influence numerous life history characteristics, and the body temperatures (Tb ) selected by individuals can affect offspring fitness and parental survival. Reproductive trade-offs may therefore ensue for gravid females, because temperatures conducive to embryonic development may compromise females' body condition. We tested whether reproduction influe...

Abstract Ruins of archaeological structures, mainly dating to the Bronze Age till Byzantine period, were investigated in a case study Petra region southern Jordan and northern Negev desert Israel. They are covered by post-abandonment debris sediments which provided parent material initial soils now developed on ruins. Such have so far rarely been studied although they likely contain significant...