Biography:

B.Sc. Ain Shams University, Egypt, 1965
M.Sc. University of Wisconsin, Madison USA, 1974.
Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.1976.
1989-Present Professor of Zoology, Department of Biological Sciences The University of Jordan, Amman.
1984-1989 Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Jordan, Amman.
1976-1984 Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Jordan, Amman
1968-1970 Instructor, Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Jordan.
1965-1968 Instructor, Riyadh University, Faculty of Science, Saudi Arabia.

Professional Experience

1977-1985 Curator of the Natural History Museum, Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Jordan.
1985-1989 Vice Dean of Students Affairs, The University of Jordan.
1992-1993 Chairman of the Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Jordan.
1993-1994 Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Paramedical Sciences and Chairman of the Department, Applied Science University, Amman.
2000-2003 Chairman of the Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Jordan.

Research Working Experience

Systematics, Anatomy, Zoogeography and Ecological Aspects of the Vertebrate Fauna.

Projects Granted And Supervised In Biodiversity

Consultant, Evaluation the status of the Wildlife Reserves in Jordan.
- Member in National Environment Strategy, Amman, Jordan. 1992.
- Consultant, Dana Wildlife Surveys: The Ibex and Mustelids, The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, 1994.
- Consultant, Burqu Preliminary Ecological Survey, The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, 1994.
- Coordinator, Ecological Assessment of Establishing Al-Ardani Highway along the Jordan Valley, Higher Council for Science and Technology, 1995.
- Coordinator, The Study of Biodiversity in the Petra Region, Petra National Trust, 1995.
- Coordinator, National Biodiversity Study, Department of Environment, Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and the Environment, 1995.
- Consultant, to the Badia Development and Research Project: The Herpetofauna of the Eastern Badia, 1995.
- United Nation Development Programme, Project Task Force Member: Jordan Country

Abstract:

Speciation and adaptation

Species is an objective, a real category and forms the basic unit for both taxonomy and evolution. Mutability of the species forms the major pivot point of speciation. Each group is originated in one major region of the world, and then expanded to occupy more space. This result has been continuous pressure of natural selection leading to adaptation of the groups to a wide variety of circumstances and that is to evolution. Rates of evolution vary and that depends mainly on the external environment. Disjunction plays a great role in the process of speciation leading to reproductive isolating mechanism. Several theories of speciation had been hypothesized, but two were highly accepted: 1) Insular speciation which explains the high percentage of endemism on the Galapagos Islands and the Arabian Peninsula. 2) A life cycle of the species i.e. evolution of the genus Acanthodactylus in the Badia Eastern Desert of Jordan. Evolution is a misnomer term and the actual process is natural selection which is the dynamic relationship between the environment and the population and that is shown by fitness of the population leading to an adaptation. Adaptation includes all the systems of the organisms. i.e. amniotic egg and camels. There are two types of speciation: dichotomous which necessitates the presences of subspecies and phyletic speciation which can be seen in fossils and hybridization i.e. the evolution of modern common wheat. One major problem facing species nowadays is high rate of extinctions as a result of human interventions.