The Palestinian Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna Preserved at the Biology Exhibitions of the Universities of the Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip(365 km^(2))of Palestine(27,000 km^(2))is home to a wealth of terrestrial vertebrate fauna.Some of these faunistic species find their ways to preservation at the local universities.Hence,the current study comes to document the Palestinian terrestrial vertebrate fauna acquired by the biology exhibitions(BEs)of Al-Azhar University,Islamic University of Gaza and Al-Aqsa University that are located at the Gaza City of the Gaza Strip.The amphibians,reptiles,birds and mammals preserved at BEs of the universities in question were surveyed and scientifically classified during a three-month period extending from January to March,2012.The study showed that all BEs of local universities are underdeveloped,lacking attention and suffer from specimen scarcity and good preservation.The BE at Al-Azhar University is the best in the arrangement and preservation of bird specimens.A total number of 200 specimens belonging to 54 terrestrial vertebrate fauna species,39 families and 17 orders was recorded at BEs.Reptiles constituted 40.7%of the total species recorded,followed by birds(38.9%),mammals(14.8%)and amphibians(5.6%).The Islamic University of Gaza was considered the best in terms of the number of preserved species(39.8%),followed by Al-Azhar University(36.3%)and Al-Aqsa University(23.9%).The Common Toad(Bufo viridis)was the most preserved among the amphibian species recorded.Squamata was the biggest reptilian order,comprising 20 species(8 lizards and 12 snakes),with the Syrian Black Snake(Coluber jugularis asianus)was the commonest.The Palestine Viper(Vipera palaestinae)is endemic to Palestine and most venomous and dangerous to human health.The Great White Pelican(Pelecanus onocrotalus)was the largest Palestinian bird preserved at BE of Al-Azhar University.The Egyptian Mongoose(Herpestes ichneumon)and the Common Badger(Meles meles)were the biggest mammalian specimens preserved,while the Palestine Mole-rat(Spalax leucodon ehrenbergi)was the only Palestine endemic species encountered among the preserved mammals.Finally,the improvement of BEs of local universities and the construction of a Central Museum of Natural History is highly recommended in order to change the Palestinians’attitudes toward a sustainable ecological conservation in the Gaza Strip.

Overview of priorities,threats,and challenges to biodiversity conservation in the southern Philippines

Human activities have severely impacted on many species and ecosystems.Thus,understanding the local biodiversity situation is crucial for implementing effective biodiversity conservation interventions.Mindanao in the southern Philippines is home to various unique species,particularly in its pristine ecosystems.However,the available biodiversity data for many terrestrial vertebrates and key areas remain incomplete.To address this issue,we synthesized published literature related to biodiversity from 2000 to 2022 in Mindanao.Moreover,this analysis used four key terrestrial vertebrates(amphibians,reptiles,birds,and mammals)in Mindanao as research objects.According to our findings,there was a significant and positive correlation between the number of biodiversity studies and species recorded.In terms of species richness,birds were the most recorded group(n=334 spp.),followed by reptiles(n=108 spp.),mammals(n=70 spp.),and amphibians(n=52 spp.).We also found that the number of endemic and threatened species varies geographically and across taxonomic groups.Yet,we discovered a significant disparity in the information available on biodiversity in different provinces of Mindanao.For example,the western provinces of Mindanao have had no record of biodiversity for more than two decades.Furthermore,we found that the changes in tree cover loss were consistent with biodiversity records,but this correlation is only significant for birds.Finally,we highlighted some critical threats and challenges to biodiversity,including deforestation,agricultural expansion,mining,and their impact on biodiversity conservation in Mindanao.Our findings suggested that biodiversity conservation should focus not only on areas with high levels of biodiversity but also on areas lacking biodiversity information.To do this,we call for strengthening collaboration among various institutions and digitizing and centralizing of information related to biodiversity.By gaining a deeper understanding of biodiversity in Mindanao,we can better and sustainably protect critical ecosystems in this region from the increasing threats posed by human activities.

Global comparisons of beta diversity among mammals,birds,reptiles,and amphibians across spatial scales and taxonomic ranks

Beta diversity is the change in species composition among areas in a geographic region. The proportion of species shared between two areas often decreases when the distance separating them increases, leading to an increase in beta diversity. This study compares beta diversity among four classes of terrestrial vertebrates （mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians） at both regional （biogeographic realm） and global extents, using the same sets of faunal sample units for all four groups in each comparison. Beta diversity is lower for the two endothermic taxa （birds and mammals） than for the two ectothermic taxa （reptiles and amphibians） in all six biogeographic realms examined. When the four taxa in the six biogeographic realms are combined, beta diversity at the species rank is higher than that of the genus rank by a factor of 1.24, and is higher than that of the family rank by a factor of 1.85. The ratio of beta diversity at the genus rank to that at the family rank is 1.50. Beta diversity is slightly higher for ecoregions of 5000-99,999 km^2 than for ecoregions of 100,000-5,000,000 km^2.