Oman Studies Centre | Natural History of Oman and Arabia | Bottom
This page lists a number of reference works and natural history guides that are of particular importance for an understanding of Natural History and Conservation in Oman and Arabia. The list is taken from Fisher (1995) with the addition of some recent works.
Amphibians and Reptiles [Top|Bottom]
[See also Arnold (1987)]
Arnold, E.N. (1986) A key and annotated checklist to the lizards and amphisbaenians of Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia 8: 385-435.
Balletto, E., Cherchi, M.A. & Gasperetti, J. (1985) Amphibians of the Arabian peninsula. Fauna of Saudi Arabia 7: 318-392.
Gallagher, M.D. (1993) Snakes of the Arabian Gulf and Oman. 16pp, privately published, Muscat, Oman.
Gasperetti, J. (1988) Snakes of Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia 9: 169-450.
Salm, R.V. & Salm, S. (1991) Sea Turtles in the Sultanate of Oman. 37pp, The Historical Association of Oman, Muscat.
Fisher, M. (1995) Indexed Bibliography of Natural History and Conservation in Oman. 74 pp, Backhuys, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Miller, A.G., Hedge, I.C. & King, R.A. (1982). Studies in the Flora of Arabia I. A botanical bibliography of the Arabian peninsula. Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 40: 43-61.Anon. (1994) Oman Bird List. 36 pp, Oman Bird Records Committee, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Anon. (1998) Breeding Bird Atlas of Oman. 32 pp, Oman Bird Records Committee, Muscat, Oman.
Gallagher, M.D. & Woodcock, M.W. (1980) 310 pp, The Birds of Oman. Quartet Books, London.
Bryophytes and Lichens [Top|Bottom]
Kürschner, H. & Ghazanfar, S.A. (1998) Bryophytes and lichens. Pp. 99-124 in Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula. S.A. Ghazanfar & M. Fisher, eds. Kluwer Academic, Netherlands.
Ghazanfar, S.A. & Gallagher, M.D. (1998). Remarkable Lichens from the Sultanate of Oman. Nova Hedwigia 67: 519-528.Butterflies and other Insects [Top|Bottom]
[See also zoogeography]
Larsen, T.B. (1983) Insects of Saudi Arabia. Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera (A monograph of the butterflies of the Arabian peninsula). Fauna of Saudi Arabia 5: 333-478.
Larsen, T.B. & Larsen, K. (1980) Butterflies of Oman. 80pp, Office of the Adviser for Conservation of the Environment, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Walker, D.H. & Pittaway, A.R. (1987) Insects of Eastern Arabia. 175 pp, Macmillan, London.
Fisher, M. (1994) Another look at the variability of desert climates, using examples from Oman. Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters 4: 79-87.
Fisher, M & Membery, DA (1998) Climate. Pp. 5-38 in Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula. S.A. Ghazanfar & M.Fisher, eds. Kluwer Academic, the Netherlands.
Schyfsma, E. (1978) Climate. Pp. 31-44 in Quaternary Period in Saudi Arabia. 1: Sedimentological, Hydrogeological, Hydrochemical, Geomorphological, and Climatological Investigations in Central and Eastern Saudi Arabia. S.S. Al-Sayari & J.G. Zötl, eds. Springer Verlag, Wien.
Coasts and Coastal Conservation [Top|Bottom]
Anon. (1986) Oman Coastal Zone Management Plan: Greater Capital Area. IUCN, Gland, for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Sultanate of Oman.
Anon. (1988) Oman Coastal Zone Management Plan: Quriyat to Ras al Hadd. IUCN, Gland, for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Sultanate of Oman.
Anon. (1989) Oman Coastal Zone Management Plan: Dhofar. Volume 1. Action Plan. IUCN, Gland, for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Sultanate of Oman.
Anon. (1989) Oman Coastal Zone Management Plan: Dhofar. Volume 2. Resource Atlas. IUCN, Gland, for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Sultanate of Oman.
Anon. (1991) Oman Coastal Zone Management Plan: Musandam. IUCN, Gland, for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Sultanate of Oman.
Deil, U. (1998) Coastal and sabkha vegetation. Pp. 209-228 in Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula. S.A. Ghazanfar & M. Fisher, eds. Kluwer Academic, Netherlands.
McLachlan, A., Fisher, M., Al-Habsi, H.N., Al-Shukairi, S.S. & Al-Habsi, A.M. (1998). Ecology of sandy beaches in Oman. Journal of CoastalConservation 4: 181-190.Conservation Areas [Top|Bottom]
[See also coasts and coastal conservation]
Clarke, J.E. (1986) Sultanate of Oman: Proposals for System of Nature Conservation Areas. IUCN, Gland.
Fisher, M., Ghazanfar, S.A., Chaudhary, S.A., Seddon, P.J., E.F., R., Omar, S., Abbas, J.A. & Boer, B. (1998) Biodiversity and Conservation. Pp. 265-302 in Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula. S.A. Ghazanfar & M. Fisher, eds. Kluwer Academic, Netherlands.
Salm, R.V. (1993) Coral reefs of the Sultanate of Oman. Atoll Research Bulletin 380: 1-85.
Reade, S.N.S., Sale, J.B., Gallagher, M.D. & Daly, R.H., eds. (1980) The Scientific Results of the Oman Flora and Fauna Survey, 1977 (Dhofar). The Journal of Oman Studies Special Report No. 2. 400 pp, Office of the Adviser for Conservation of the Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Muscat, Oman.
Dolphins and Whales [Top|Bottom]
Baldwin, R. & Salm, R.V. (1994) Whales and Dolphins Along the Coast of Oman. 65pp, privately published, Muscat, Oman.
Baldwin, R.M. (1995). Whales and Dolphins of the United Arab Emirates. 111 pp., Emirates Printing Press, Dubai.Economic and Medicinal Plants [Top|Bottom]
Ghazanfar, S.A. (1994) Handbook of Arabian Medicinal Plants. CRC Press, Boca Raton, U.S.A.
Ghazanfar, S.A. (1998) Plants of economic importance. Pp. 241-264 in Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula. S.A. Ghazanfar & M. Fisher, eds. Kluwer Academic, Netherlands.
Miller, A.G. & Morris, M. (1988) Plants of Dhofar, the Southern Region of Oman: Traditional, Economic and Medicinal Uses. The Office of the Adviser for Conservation of the Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Sultanate of Oman.
Flora and Vegetation [Top|Bottom]
[See also coasts and coastal conservation, juniper woodlands and phytogeography]
Collenette, S. (1999). Wildflowers of Saudi Arabia. 832 pp., National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Cope, T.A. (1985). A Key to the Grasses of the Arabian Peninsula. Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research Special Publication No. 1. 82 pp.Deil, U. & Al Gifri, A.N. (1998) Montane and wadi vegetation. Pp. 125-174 in Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula. S.A. Ghazanfar & M. Fisher, eds. Kluwer Academic, Netherlands.
Ghazanfar, S.A. (1992) An Annotated Catalogue of the Flora of Oman. 153 pp, Scripta Botanica Belgica,. National Botanic Garden of Belgium, Meise, Belgium.
Ghazanfar, S.A. (1991) Floristic composition and the analysis of vegetation of the Sultanate of Oman. Flora et Vegetatio Mundi 9: 215-227.
Ghazanfar, S.A. (1997) Trees of Oman. 67 pp, Directorate-General of Nature Reserves, Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Environment, Muscat, Oman.
Ghazanfar, S.A. (1998) Vegetation of the plains. Pp. 175-190 in Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula. S.A. Ghazanfar & M. Fisher, eds. Kluwer Academic, Netherlands.
Ghazanfar, S.A. (1998) Water vegetation. Pp. 229-240 in Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula. S.A. Ghazanfar & M. Fisher, eds. Kluwer Academic, Netherlands.
Ghazanfar, S.A. & Fisher, M., eds. (1998) Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula. 365 pp, Kluwer Academic, the Netherlands.
Mandaville, J.P. (1978) Wild Flowers of Northern Oman. 64 pp, Bartholomew Books, London.
Mandaville, J.P. (1990). The Flora of Eastern Arabia. 482 pp., Kegan Pual International London and the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Mandaville, J.P. (1998) Vegetation of the Sands. Pp. 191-208 in Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula. S.A. Ghazanfar & M. Fisher, eds. Kluwer Academic, Netherlands.
Miller, A.G. & Cope, T.A. (1996). Flora of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra. 586 pp., Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.Miller, A.G. & Morris, M. (1988) Plants of Dhofar, the Southern Region of Oman: Traditional, Economic and Medicinal Uses. The Office of the Adviser for Conservation of the Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Sultanate of Oman.
Wood, J.R.I. (1997). A Handbook of the Yemen Flora. 434 pp., Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.Hourani, M.M. & Heyda, C.M. (1983) Gazetteer of Oman. 140 pp, Defense Mapping Agency, Washington, D.C.
Geology and Geomorphology [Top|Bottom]
[See also hydrogeology]
Chapman, R.W. (1978) Geology. Pp. 4-19 in Quaternary Period in Saudi Arabia. 1: Sedimentological, Hydrogeological, Hydrochemical, Geomorphological, and Climatological Investigations in Central and Eastern Saudi Arabia. S.S. Al-Sayari & J.G. Zötl, eds. Springer Verlag, Wien.
Chapman, R.W. (1978) Geomorphology. Pp. 19-30 in Quaternary Period in Saudi Arabia. 1: Sedimentological, Hydrogeological, Hydrochemical, Geomorphological, and Climatological Investigations in Central and Eastern Saudi Arabia. S.S. Al-Sayari & J.G. Zötl, eds. Springer Verlag, Wien.
Clarke, M.H. (1990) Oman's Geological Heritage. 247 pp, Petroleum Development Oman, Muscat, Oman.
Glennie, K.W., Boeuf, M.G.A., Clarke, M.W.H., Moody-Stuart, M., Pilaar, W.F.H. & Reinhardt, B.M. (1974) Geology of the Oman Mountains. Part One (Text), Part Two (Tables and Illustrations), Part Three (enclosures). Verhandelingen van het Koninklijk Nederlands geologisch mijnbouwkundig Genootschap, Volume 31, The Hague.
Robertson, A.H.F., Searle, M.P. & Ries, A.C., eds. (1990) The Geology and Tectonics of the Oman Region. 845 pp, Geological Society Special Publication No. 49. The Geological Society, London.
Guba, I. & Glennie, K. (1998). Geology and Geomorphology. Pp. 39-62 in S.A. Ghazanfar & M. Fisher, eds., Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula. Kluwer Academic, the Netherlands.General Natural History [Top|Bottom]
Osborne, P.E., ed. (1996). Desert Ecology of Abu Dhabi - A Review and Recent Studies. 236 pp., Pisces Publications, Newbury, U.K.Stanger, G. (1986) The Hydrogeology of the Oman Mountains. Volume 1, Main Text. Volume 2, Data Appendices. Ph.D., The Open University.
Juniper Woodlands [Top|Bottom]
Fisher, M. (1994) Is it possible to construct a tree-ring chronology for Juniperus excelsa subsp. polycarpos from the northern mountains of Oman? Dendrochronologia 12: 113-121.
Fisher, M. (1997) Decline in the juniper woodlands of Raydah reserve in southwestern Saudi Arabia: a response to climate changes? Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters 6: 379-386.
Fisher, M. & Gardner, A.S. (1995) The status and ecology of a Juniperus excelsa subsp polycarpos woodland in the northern mountains of Oman. Vegetatio 119: 33-51.
Gardner, A.S. & Fisher, M. (1996) The distribution and status of the montane juniper woodlands of Oman. Journal of Biogeography 23: 791-803.
Fisher, M. & Gardner, A.S. (1998) The potential of a montane juniper tree-ring chronology for the reconstruction of recent climate in Arabia. Pp. 273-278 in Quaternary Deserts and Climatic Change. A.S. Alsharhan, K.W. Glennie, G.L. Whittle & C.G.S.C. Kendall, eds. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam.
[See also Ghazanfar (1998) & Stanger (1986)]
Victor, R. & AlMahrouqi, A.I.S. (1996) Physical, chemical and faunal characteristics of a perennial stream in arid northern Oman. Journal of Arid Environments 34: 465-476.
Victor, R. & Victor, J.R. (1997) Some aspects of the ecology of littoral invertebrates in a coastal lagoon of southern Oman. Journal of Arid Environments 37: 33-44.
Victor, R., Victor, J.R. & Clarke, N.V. (1997) Physical and chemical environment of Khawr Mugsayl, a coastal lagoon in southern Oman. Journal of Arid Environments 36: 1-14.
[See also Delany (1989)]
Harrison, D.L. & Bates, P.J.J. (1991) The Mammals of Arabia. Harrison Zoological Museum Publication, Sevenoaks, Kent.
[See also coasts and coastal conservation, corals, dolphins and whales, marine molluscs, marine sediments]
Sheppard, C.R.C., Price, A.R.G. & Roberts, C. (1992). Marine Ecology of the Arabian Region: Patterns and Processes in Extreme Tropical Environments. 359 pp., Academic Press, London.
Bosch, D. & Bosch, E. (1982) Seashells of Oman. Longman, London.
Bosch, D. & Bosch, E. (1989) Seashells of Southern Arabia. Motivate Publishing, United Arab Emirates.
Stewart, N.J., ed. (1991) Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, Volume 117, Oman Margin. Ocean Drilling Program, Texas A&M University.
Northern Mountains [Top|Bottom]
Harrison, D.L., ed. (1977) The Scientific Results of the Oman Flora and Fauna Survey 1975. The Journal of Oman Studies Special Report No. 1. Ministry of Information and Culture, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
White Oryx Project[Top|Bottom]
Stanley-Price, M.R. (1989) Animal Re-introductions: the Arabian Oryx in Oman. Cambridge Studies in Applied Ecology and Resource Management. 291 pp, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Spalton, J.A., Lawrence, M.W. & Brend, S.A. (1999). Arabian oryx reintroduction in Oman: successes and setbacks. Oryx 33: 168-175.Palaeoclimate and the Quaternary Period [Top|Bottom]
[See also Stewart (1991)]
Al-Sayari, S.S. & Zötl, J.G., eds. (1978) Quaternary Period in Saudi Arabia. 1: Sedimentological, Hydrogeological, Hydrochemical, Geomorphological, and Climatological Investigations in Central and Eastern Saudi Arabia. Springer Verlag, Wien.
Clark, I.D. & Fontes, J. (1990) Paleoclimatic reconstruction in northern Oman based on carbonates from hyperalkaline groundwaters. Quaternary Research 33: 320-336.
Jado, A.R. & Zötl, J.G., eds. (1984) Quaternary Period in Saudi Arabia. Volume 2: Sedimentological, Hydrogeological, Hydrochemical, Geomorphological, Geochronological and Climatological Investigations in Western Saudi Arabia. Springer Verlag, Wien.
Sanlaville, P. (1992) Changements climatiques dans la peninsule Arabique durant le Pleistocene Superieur et l'Holocene. Paleorient 18: 5-26.
Ghazanfar, S.A. (1992) Quantitative and biogeographic analysis of the flora of the Sultanate of Oman. Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters 2: 189-195.
Kürschner, H. (1986) Omanisch-makranische Disjunktionen Ein Beitrag zur pflanzengeographischen Stellung und zu den florengenetischen Beziehungen Omans. Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik 106: 541-562.
Kürschner, H. (1998) Biogeography and vegetation. Pp. 63-98 in Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula. S.A. Ghazanfar & M. Fisher, eds. Kluwer Academic, Netherlands.
Mandaville, J.P. (1984) Studies in the Flora of Arabia XI: Some historical and geographical aspects of a principal floristic frontier. Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 42: 1-15.
White, F. & Leonard, J. (1991) Phytogeographical links between Africa and southwest Asia. Flora et Vegetatio Mundi 9: 229-246.
Anon. (1982) Range and Livestock Survey. GRM International Pty. Ltd, for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Sultanate of Oman.
Anon. (1990) General Soil Map of the Sultanate of Oman. Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Sultanate of Oman.
Southwest Monsoon and Associated Upwelling [Top|Bottom]
[See also Stewart (1991)]
Anderson, D.M. & Prell, W.L. (1993) A 300 Kyr record of upwelling off Oman during the late Quaternary: evidence of the Asian southwest monsoon. Paleoceanography 8: 193-208.
Prell, W.L. & Kutzbach, J.E. (1987) Monsoon variability over the past 150,000 years. Journal of Geophysical Research 92: 8411-8425.
Summerhayes, C.P., Prell, W.L. & Emeis, K.C., eds. (1992) Upwelling Systems: Evolution Since the Early Miocene. Geological Society Special Publication No. 64. The Geological Society, London.
Dutton, R.W., ed. (1988) The Scientific Results of The Royal Geographical Society's Oman Wahiba Sands Project 1985-1987. The Journal of Oman Studies Special Report No. 3. Office of the Adviser for Conservation of the Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Arnold, E.N. (1987) Zoogeography of the reptiles and amphibians of Arabia. Pp. 245-256 in Proceedings of the Symposium on the Fauna and Zoogeography of the Middle East. F. Krupp, W. Schneider & R. Kinzelbach, eds. Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, Wiesbaden.
Cowie, R.H. (1989) The zoogeographical composition and distribution of the Arabian termite fauna. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 36: 157-168.
Delany, M.J. (1989) The zoogeography of the mammal fauna of southern Arabia. Mammal Review 19: 133-152.
Larsen, T.B. (1984) The zoogeographical composition and distribution of the Arabian butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera). Journal of Biogeography 11: 119-158.
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