Saeideh Esmaeili

Persian gazelle has been declining over recent decades due to illegal hunting and habitat degradation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has considered Goitered gazelle as a vulnerable species since 2006. Information on habitat associations of a species is central to its conservation programs. We studied habitat use by Persian gazelle in Kolah-Qazi National Park, one of its typical habitats in central Iran. Different habitat types were defined based on dominant plant species (vegetation communities) and slope of the ground. Defined habitats were included Scariola orientalis- Artemisia sieberi, A. Sieberi, A. sieberi- Anabasis aphylla, Pteropyrum aucheri and slope terrain. Belt transects were established in replicated habitat types and gazelle habitat use was quantified by counting and clearing pellet groups within the established transects in two-month intervals from September 2009 to September 2010. To compare gazelle habitat use between the defined habitat types and time periods, one-way analysis of variance was used. Gazelles used P. aucheri community significantly less than other defined habitat. The spatial pattern of habitat use was more or less similar between the time periods. However, gazelles used P. aucheri community significantly less than S. orientalis- A. sieberi, A. sieberi and A. aphylla- A. sieberi in February-March period. Jacob's selectivity index demonstrated that the S. orientalis- A. sieberi community has been used more and A. sieberi- A. aphylla has been used less than the available habitats