The common pheasant is listed as a nationally protected species in Iran because it faces many threats such as habitat destruction, pollution from pesticides and overhunting. The species’ habitat selection remains unknown in Iran; consequently, conservation planning for the species is hampered by this lack of information. In this study we used predictor variables including topographic, anthropogenic, land cover and climate and 122 occurrence points to model the distribution of common pheasant (subspecies P. c. talischensis), in Gilan province, Iran. The results showed that distance to agriculture and orchards as well as distance to plantation forests were the most important variables in predicting species distribution. Furthermore, we found that the total potential suitable habitat for the species in Gilan province is 315,990 hectares. We observed a shift of the species to higher altitudes in the province. We recommend raising awareness about the presence of the species especially among private landowners, creating a network of protected areas on private land, and changing land-use policies at the provincial level as essential measures for the conservation of the species in Gilan province. Our results can be applied to management and conservation of the species in other modified or rapidly changing landscapes.

The study of the nocturnal activity pattern of Iranian jerboa showed that this species stayed out of the burrow nests for a large part of the night during the first and last weeks of the lunar month, whereby their nocturnal activities markedly decreased from a half to a full moon. The scale of activity was higher when the moon was low than when it was high. Additionally, activity shifted somewhat from open to vegetation cover when the moon was high. The higher predation risk in brighter nights is supposed to be the main reason for such an activity pattern.

Great gerbil (Rhombomys opimusLichtenstein, 1823) is distributed in Central Asia and some parts of the Middle East. It is widely found in central and northeast parts of Iran with two distinct genetic lineages:R.o.sodalisin the northern slopes of the Elburz Mountains andR.o.sargadensisin the southern slopes. This large rodent acts as the main host of natural focal diseases. No study has surveyed the ecological niche of the lineages and how their distribution might be influenced by different climatic variables. To examine the distribution patterns of this murid rodent, we aimed to determine the habitat preferences and effects of environmental variables on the ecological niche. Using a species distribution approach for modeling of regional niche specialization, suitable habitats predicted forR.o.sodaliswere mainly located in Golestan province in northern Iran, along the northern slope of Elburz, whileR.o.sargadensis, showed great potential distribution along the southern slope of Elburz and around the Kavir Desert and the Lut Desert. Despite the widest potential distribution ofR.o.sargadensisfrom northeast to northwest and through Central Iran, the geographic range ofR.o.sodaliswas smaller and mostly confined to Golestan province. The results support the presence of the two genetic lineages ofRhombomysin Iran and confirm that there is no significant niche overlap between the two subspecies. Furthermore, it provided several perspectives for future taxonomic studies and prevention hygiene programs for public health.

The Small Five-toed Jerboa, Allactaga elater, is a small rodent adapted to desert and semi-arid habitats with a widespread distribution around the Caucasus. Previous studies have suggested the occurrence of subspecific variation within the species but, except for a recent phylogeny of the genus Allactaga, most of the work done on the taxonomy of the group relies on morphological data only. To contribute to the current understanding of patterns of genetic diversity of A. elater we analysed one mitochondrial locus, cytochrome b, from 13 Iranian specimens. Comparing to a recent phylogeny, our results suggest the existence of two additional mitochondrial lineages, one that clusters within previously described lineages and a new and highly divergent one. The two novel mitochondrial lineages occur in the north and form two highly divergent monophyletic groups (Dxy = 14%), which likely separated during the Pleistocene.

We studied habitat preferences of the only known population of Iranian jerboa in Iran. Binary logistic regression was used to identify habitat variables that might be important to Iranian jerboa. The number of candidate variables was reduced using logistic regression retaining variables that differed between occupied (presence) and non-used (absence) plots. Logistic regression model could successfully distinguish between used and non-used areas. Habitat use of Iranian Jerboa is mainly affected by vegetation type and percent cover of bare soil.