Biogeography of rodents in Iran: species richness, elevational distribution and their environmental correlates

Abstract

Rodent biogeographic studies are disproportionately scarce in Iran, however, they are an ideal system to understand drivers of biodiversity distributions in the country. The aims of the present research are to determine (i) the pattern of rodent richness across the country, (ii) quantify their elevational distribution patterns, and (iii) explore the underlying mechanisms. To reach these goals, an updated species list was compiled based on the latest taxonomic revisions, published until December 2021. We mapped all 76 rodent species distributions to develop the first map of rodent richness in Iran. We furthermore investigated their elevational distribution patterns in the following four geographic regions based on 100 m intervals; the Zagros Mountains, north of Alborz Mountains, south of Alborz and Kopet-Dagh mountains, and central and east mountains. North-east of Iran, Zagros Mountains, Alborz Mountains, and northwestern of Iran showed the highest richness and were identified as biodiversity hotspots of rodents in the country. This study highlights the importance of past climate change as the key driver of rodent richness in Iran. We showed that rodents’ elevational distribution patterns differ among geographic regions. Areas and elevational zones with the highest species richness should be prioritized for the conservation planning of rodents in Iran.

Reptile richness and genetic divergence patterns were shaped by current and past climate in and around the Irano‐Anatolian global biodiversity hotspot: Implications for conservation

“…The Zagros Mountains, the Central Iranian Plateau and the northern Persian Gulf in Iran, and the southern parts of Turkey have the highest species richness. These regions were previously known as important hotspots for plant and animal species in Iran (Hosseinzadeh et al, 2014; Kafash et al, 2020, 2021; Noroozi et al, 2018; Yousefi et al, 2022). Areas of highest species richness in Iran are somehow similar to hotspots that were identified for all reptiles, particularly in Zagros Mountains and north of Persian Gulf (Noori et al, 2021).…”

Reconstructing Contact and Potential Interbreeding Geographical Zone for Neanderthals and Anatomically Modern Humans

“…Secondly, Zagros is a vast region (overs 1500 km from Lake Van at the Turkish Kurdistan to south-eastern Iran) to support stable human populations. Thirdly, Zagros is exceptionally diverse in terms of topography and biodiversity (Heydari-Guran 2014; Kafash et al 2020, 2021; Youse et al, 2022Youse et al, , 2023 making it capable of supporting presence of two sub-species at the same time.…”

Medically Significant Vector-Borne Viral Diseases in Iran

“…All three, Ixodes, Haemephysalis, and Dermacentor tick species have been identified in Iran [21,169]. The main reservoir of TBEV are small rodents [168], and Iran has a rich rodent diversity [32,170]. TBEV in Iran is not well documented and is often thought to be absent in Iran with just the vectors present.…”

“…Hantavirus is a rodent-borne virus (RBV) that is of concern worldwide, and Iran is home to a rich diversity of rodents, which are known reservoirs of Hantaviruses [32,170]. In Iran, Hantavirus was first identified in 2014 from serum samples collected in 2013 [197] (Figure 5).…”