Braconid wasps (Hymenoptera) in two Iranian hotspots: Conservation implications | ||
| Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology | ||
| Article 11, Volume 28, Issue 1, January and February 2026, Pages 163-178 PDF (1.41 M) | ||
| Document Type: Original Research | ||
| DOI: 10.48311/jast.2026.16849 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Parisa Abdoli1; Ali Asghar Talebi* 1; Nickolas G. Kavallieratos2; Samira Farahani3; Rasoul Khosravi4 | ||
| 1Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. | ||
| 2Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece. | ||
| 3Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. | ||
| 4Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Engineering, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Biodiversity hotspots are key for identifying priority areas for species conservation. The Alborz Mountains, with two hotspots (the Caucasus on the northern slope and the Irano-Anatolian on the southern slope) provide an ideal landscape for assessing the impacts of vegetation, slope and elevation on species diversity. We examined the alpha and beta diversity of Braconidae across different slopes (northern/southern), elevations (upper/lower positions) and provinces (Guilan and Mazandaran in northern Iran, Qazvin, Tehran, Alborz). Using 31 Malaise traps, we collected 276 species and 5,950 individuals from 20 subfamilies. Shannon-Wiener and Brillouin’s indices showed higher diversity on the northern slope. Species diversity peaked at mid-elevation (800–1,200 m). Alpha diversity was highest in Guilan and Alborz-Tehran. Beta diversity analysis indicated that slope, elevation, and province influenced species composition. Similar compositions were found in Mazandaran-Guilan (northern slope), and Alborz-Tehran and Qazvin (southern slope) in vegetation zones with similar environmental conditions. Additionally, the highest species composition similarity was observed between the southern and northern slope positions and upper positions of both slopes. These findings have important implications towards the maintenance of the diversity of braconids, a major beneficial species group, by prioritizing their hotspots. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Alpha diversity; Beta diversity; Conservation; Dominant species; Species richness | ||
| References | ||
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