Eman M. E. Mohallal

Stray dogs, foxes and rodents contribute to serious health problems in human societies around the world. Before any necessary interventions to control them, an accurate estimate of their populations should be attained. This study investigates the population dynamics of dogs, foxes, and rodents in the western desert regions at Kalabsha, Umbaraka, Razzak, and Abu Gharadig localities from June 2022 to February 2024. Monthly observations revealed that 1447 dogs were sighted, with a trap index peaking at 22.7% in July 2022 and declining to 2.0% in August 2023. Fox sightings were less frequent, with notable peaks in Autumn 2022 and Spring 2023. Rodent captures exhibited a substantial peak in July 2022 (59.14%), followed by a decline to a low in May 2023 (5.0%). Seasonal and regional variations in sightings can be due to the influences of environmental factors and human activities. Abu Gharadig and Razzak consistently reported higher dog and rodent sightings, while Kalabsha and Umbaraka documented more fox sightings. The statistical analyses show significant differences in abundance across the investigated localities for dogs (p<0.048), foxes (p<0.005), and rodents (p<0.001). The diversity indices indicated moderate species richness and evenness, with Simpson's Diversity Index at 0.576 and Shannon's Diversity Index at 0.699. These findings highlight the complex interactions between the investigated species and their environments, emphasizing the need for tailored conservation and management strategies. The results highlight the need for a science-based policy to control and manage their populations in the study areas as well as in other localities of Egypt.

The dominant helminths infecting spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) in the montane wadis of the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt are spirurid nematodes, notably Protospirura muricola and Mastophorus muris. Both are relatively large robust stomach worms that accumulate in hosts resulting in high worm burdens. To ascertain whether the presence of spirurid worms or their burdens alters the host's likelihood of infection with other helminth species, we analysed a database containing quantitative data on helminth parasites of these mice (n = 431). This comprised of worm burdens recorded during 4 surveys, conducted at 4-year intervals, in 4 wadis, during late summer of each year. The presence of spirurid worms did not significantly alter species richness with other helminth species nor the likelihood of mice carrying other nematode species. However, there was a significant association, particularly of P. muricola, with the presence of intestinal stages of cestodes, and with the acanthocephalan Moniliformis acomysi. After controlling for intrinsic and extrinsic factors, mice harbouring spirurid worms had greater worm burdens of other helminths compared with mice without spirurids. Moreover, spirurid worm burdens showed a significant positive covariation with similarly adjusted species richness of other helminths, non-spirurid helminths, non-spirurid nematodes, oxyuroid nematodes and intestinal stage cestode worm burdens. We interpret these results as an indication that the key driver for co-occurrence of spirurids with other helminths is likely to be transmission via common arthropod hosts (for cestodes and acanthocephalans), but also that mice carrying the heavier spirurid worm burdens become more susceptible to directly transmitted nematodes such as the Oxyuroidea.

This work aims to study the diverse migrating waterbirds in the New Valley area at the natural lakes in Dakhla, Mut and at the artificial agricultural wastewater in Kharga during the period from December 2022 to April 2023. This study focused on the winter and spring migration seasons and 32 different bird species were recorded, of which 29 were migratory. The observed birds belong to 8 different orders and 12 families. The largest group was the Charadriiformes order with 14 bird species. Also, Near Threatened Ferruginous Duck was recorded in Dakhla and relative abundance analysis spotlighted two key species the little stint and marsh sandpiper. The results shed light on the ecological importance of shallow water zones comparison to deep water zones, which had 84.4% from total recorded birds. Dakhla is characterized by higher overall abundances, richer species numbers, and a more diverse Shannon-Weiner index, 2.611 pointing to a more varied and populous avian community compared to Kharga. While Dakhla boasted greater diversity indices, the measurements from both sites similarly suggested that the bird species were evenly spread throughout each location. Both locations exhibited substantial increases in the diversity and populations of species, underscoring the valuable role of agricultural wastewater habitats as resting habitats of migrating waterbirds.

Stray dogs, foxes and rodents contribute to serious health problems in human societies around the world. Before any necessary interventions to control them, an accurate estimate of their populations should be attained. This study investigates the population dynamics of dogs, foxes, and rodents in the western desert regions of Kalabsha, Umbaraka, Razzak, and Abu Gharadig from June 2022 to February 2024. Monthly observations reveal that 1447 dogs were sighted, with a trap index peaking at 22.71% in July 2022 and declining to 2.00% in August 2023. Fox sightings were less frequent, with notable peaks in Autumn 2022 and Spring 2023. Rodent captures exhibited a substantial peak in July 2022 (59.14), followed by a decline to a low in May 2023 (5.00). Seasonal and regional variations in sightings suggest influences from environmental factors and human activities. Abu Gharadig and Razzak consistently reported higher dog and rodent sightings, while Kalabsha and Umbaraka documented more fox sightings. Statistical analyses show significant differences in abundance across areas for dogs (p<0.048), foxes (p<0.005), and rodents (p<0.001). Diversity indices indicate moderate species richness and evenness, with Simpson's Diversity Index at 0.576 and Shannon's Diversity Index at 0.699. These findings highlight the complex interactions between species and their environments, emphasizing the need for tailored conservation and management strategies. The results highlight the need for a science-based policy to control and manage them populations in Egypt.

This study observed the diverse migrating waterbirds in the New Valley area. which looked at two agricultural wastewater key places. One is natural lakes in Dakhla, Mut lakes, The other Artificial in Kharga. From December 2022 to April 2023, the study focused on the winter and spring migration. In that time, thirty-two different bird species were recorded. Twenty-nine of them were migratory. These birds showed a brilliant range of species. They belong to eight different orders and twelve families. The largest group was the Charadriiformes order with fourteen species. Also, Near Threatened Ferruginous Duck was recorded in Dakhla and relative abundance analysis spotlighted two key species the little stint and marsh sandpiper. The study sheds light on the ecological importance of shallow water zones comparison to deep water zones, which had 84.4% from total individuals in recorded. Dakhla featured higher overall abundances, richer species numbers, and a more diverse Shannon-Weiner index, 2.611 pointing to a more varied and populous avian community compared to Kharga. While Dakhla boasted greater diversity indices, the measurements from both sites similarly suggested that the bird species were evenly spread throughout each location. Both locations exhibited substantial increases in the diversity and populations of species, underscoring the valuable role of agricultural wastewater habitats as resting stop of migrating waterbird.

This study investigated the waterbird communities at Siwa Lakes, focusing on the period from November 2021 to May 2023. A diverse array of 26 waterbird species, comprising three resident and 23 migratory species, was recorded across seven orders and twelve families. Charadriiformes dominated, showing significant representation across four families and thirteen species, while Pelecaniformes ranked second. The relative abundance analysis highlighted key species such as the greater flamingo and little egret. Variations in bird species diversity were observed among lakes, with a significant difference between Fatnas and Zamory Lakes compared to Dehaba Lakes. Seasonal patterns of bird abundance consistently highlighted Phoenicopteriformes as the most abundant order, with Charadriiformes peaking during spring. The diversity indices revealed higher numbers and richness in migratory waterbirds compared to residents, emphasizing the ecological significance of migratory populations. This study provided valuable insights into the dynamic waterbird communities, their distribution, and relative abundances, contributing to the broader understanding of ecosystem health and functioning.

Most of the characteristics explaining the variability between populations or species were those directly connected with their morphological measurements. Many studies have dealt with morphological measurements among mammalian skulls, but few have dealt in detail with morphological measurements of cranial and dental characters. Forty one adult male specimens of the weasel, Mustela subpalmata, were collected from four different regions in Egypt; Alexandria, Giza, Beni Suif, and Sharquiya. Twenty-eight absolute morphometric characters (body mass + 4 external + 23 cranial and dental) and 23 selected morphological ratios were undertaken. All of these measurements showed no significant difference, except the upper molar M1 breadth/maxillary tooth row length (MuB/MxtL) ratio which showed a significant difference between these four studied regions. The complete external description and coloration of the Egyptian weasel pelage were analyzed in detail. The dental characters showed highly correlation with each other and were highly correlated with the cranial characters, which are also highly correlated with each other. Standing on 28 morphological and 23 selected ratio characters, the Egyptian weasels collected from Beni Suif region differ from those of Alexandria, Giza, and Sharquiya regions. The similarity index between the Egyptian weasels collected from Alexandria and Sharquiya regions is very high. The cluster of each of Alexandria and Sharquiya is somewhat close to Giza cluster.

The Dorcas Gazelle, Gazella dorcas, has lost 86% of its global historical range, and is regionally categorized as endangered by the IUCN. The factors that caused this decline have never been quantified. In this work, field and remotely sensed data were used to examine the ecological and anthropogenic factors affecting the abundance of Dorcas Gazelle within Wadi El-Gemal Protected Area in the Eastern desert of Egypt, using Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM). The species’ abundance is shaped by anthropogenic activities (number of car trails and proximity to the coastal road) more than ecological factors (vegetation and wetness indices). Dorcas Gazelle is avoiding more humid and greener areas because of human disturbance. Such suitable habitats may be perceived by gazelles as too dangerous, and the animals therefore prefer less suitable but safer habitats that are further away or less frequented by humans. Moreover, an easy to conduct, cheap monitoring tool, the Kilometric Abundance Index (KAI), was devised and implemented for baseline information to be used for future monitoring of Dorcas Gazelle.

The rapidity of the global biome changes caused by humans exceeds the slow resilience of ecosystems, especially fragile biomes such as deserts. Habitat destruction is the main threat to biodiversity loss, it is seventy times more threatening than climate change. Quantifying and mapping habitat destruction is essential for biodiversity conservation plans, as it quantifies the remaining habitats and prioritizes the most important and threatened habitats. Using remote sensing and GIS, The Egyptian Dabb lizard Uromastyx aegyptia distribution in the eastern desert of Egypt was modeled and its destroyed suitable habitats were mapped and quantified. Precipitation seasonality was the most important variable contributing to the species' habitat suitability as well as NDVI. Two regions were identified as suitable, nearly half (44%) of the northern suitable region is destroyed, and the rest is low-quality habitat. In the southern region, there is an expansion in energy projects that lies in the most important areas for Dabb lizard conservation. A great conservation opportunity could be seized if energy projects considered activating and implementing their biodiversity conservation plans.