Urial Sheep Reproductive Timing Responses to Climate Variables in Eastern Iran

Climate and latitude data from six protected areas in eastern Iran were analyzed over the past decade to assess reproductive phenology in urial sheep (Ovis vignei). The dataset, authored by Fereshteh Khaleghdadi and last updated in June 2026, integrates climate variables like temperature, precipitation, snowfall, and humidity with habitat latitude and elevation. Results show mating timing is influenced by latitude, summer temperature, and autumn precipitation, while lambing timing is primarily shaped by spatial differences among study areas.

Use Cases

• Modeling herbivore mating phenology based on latitude and seasonal climate variables
• Assessing spatial variance in lambing timing across different protected areas
• Informing adaptive wildlife management plans using climate and phenological data
• Studying climate-driven mismatches between birth timing and forage availability

Strengths

• Data spans six protected areas in eastern Iran, providing regional coverage.
• Analysis covers a decade of climate and phenological observations.
• Dataset is openly licensed under CC-BY-4.0 for reuse.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The 601.2 KB file size suggests a limited scope of data.

Provenance

Source

Fereshteh Khaleghdadi via figshare

Collection Method

Climate data from nearest weather stations integrated with habitat data using generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs).

Time Range

Past decade (inferred from description).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 17:21:51; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Six protected areas in eastern Iran.