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Human‐mediated habitat destruction has had a profound impact on increased species extinction rates and population declines worldwide. The coastal development in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the last two decades, serves as an example of how habitat transformation can alter the landscape of a country in just a few years. Here, we study the genomic implications of habitat transformation in the Critically Endangered Emirati Leaf‐toed Gecko (Asaccus caudivolvulus), the only endemic vertebrate of the UAE. We generate a high‐quality reference genome for this gecko, representing the first reference genome for the family Phyllodactylidae, and produce whole‐genome resequencing data for 23 specimens from 10 different species of leaf‐toed geckos. Our results show that A. caudivolvulus has consistently lower genetic diversity than any other Arabian species of Asaccus, suggesting a history of ancient population declines. However, high levels of recent inbreeding are recorded among populations in heavily developed areas, with a more than 50% increase in long runs of homozygosity within a 9‐year period. Moreover, results suggest that this species does not effectively purge deleterious mutations, hence making it more vulnerable to future stochastic threats. Overall, results show that A. caudivolvulus is in urgent need of protection, and habitat preservation must be warranted to ensure the species' survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of cooling systems has increased because of drastic changes introduced after the oil revolution in the local architecture by using modern building designs and practices that may not suit Oman's climate. The traditional architecture in this country is characterized by its passive cooling design features, which the locals fine-tuned through trial and error. These sustainable passive design practices developed over the ages have the ability to provide healthy and comfortable spaces for their occupants while preserving environmental and natural resources. These strategies are still evident in many traditional settlements and buildings in Oman. The present research evaluates the effect of natural ventilation in achieving thermal comfort in traditional Omani houses. For this purpose, a traditional house in a hot-arid climate zone with vernacular architecture typology was chosen as a case study. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to model the house and analyse the airflow and temperature levels in its spaces. The results show the efficiency of such a design to enhance natural ventilation and thermal comfort in similar geo-climatic regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban design between buildings has a strong impact on people who use outdoor spaces. It is directly linked to the configuration of the street axes, orientation, and canopy ratio. This study investigates the impact of urban geometry between residential buildings in Assiut city, Egypt with a ratio of (H/W) 4 as a common design concept of big complexes, on residences thermal comfort and flats indoor environment. Thermal comfort for outdoor spaces in the urban canyon was evaluated based on field measurement in a different location using different parameters (Temperature, relative humidity, CO2, and wind speed) during the hot months of the summer season. Also evaluation for indoor environment of different flats overlooking the urban canyon. The results indicated that the quality of outdoor spaces, in deep canyons of the El-Ebrahimia complex, affects residents thermal comfort with a significant reduction of canyon temperature is achieved with a temperature difference range from 7 to 10 Kelvin (K) between outdoor temperature and canyon temperature and 10 K for flats overlooking the canyon due to canyon design and (H/W) ratio. Temperature reduction of canyon temperature causes thermal comfort for residents to practice social activities with a temperature range between 26 °C to 30 °C for the Standard Effective Temperature (SET*). The study provided information to use deep urban canyons as multiple designs in residential complexes of the Assiut hot arid climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]