EVALUATION OF HABITAT SUITABILITY OF ZIGZAG MOUNTAIN VIPER (VIPERA ALBICORNUTA) IN THE NORTH OF ZANJAN PROVINCE, IRAN

摘要

The study of ecological characteristics of wildlife species has an important role in their management. Deciding on appropriate management practices is only possible by determining the ecological requirements of a species. Also, recognizing the distribution of species for conservation and management of populations, particularly for threatened species, is essential. One way to determine the distribution of the species is to evaluate the habitat. The models that predict species ranges can be a useful tool for conservation and management purposes. In this present study, the modeling of vipera albicomuta habitat is performed in part of the habitat of this species, using binary logistic regression. The habitat variables are: elevation, aspect, slope, distance to water, rocky cover, distance to roads, stack vegetation, tall grass vegetation, short grass vegetation, the tall herbaceous vegetation, distance to residential areas, the presence points (25 points) and absence points (26 points) of species also considered as dependent variables. The results of statistical analysis showed that rocky coverage is the most determining factors in species habitat, and variables such as elevation, aspect, distance to water, distance to roads, the stack vegetation, tall grass vegetation, tall herbaceous vegetation and distance to residential areas are other variables that affect the presence of species.