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Turner CM, Loughry WJ, Perez-Heydrich C, Wilson TP, Gaudin TJ. Seroprevalence of Leprosy in Nine-Banded Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) from Tennessee, USA, 2021-22. J Wildl Dis 2024:500822. [PMID: 38757151 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-23-00163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is currently considered an invasive species in parts of its range in the US, and this range continues to expand to the north and east. Nine-banded armadillos are one of a handful of mammals known to contract leprosy (also known as Hansen's disease); range expansion thus leads to public health concerns about whether this might increase human exposure to infected animals. We collected blood samples from 61 road-killed armadillos over two summers (2021 and 2022) in Tennessee, a US state near the northern extreme of the species' current range, and screened them for exposure to Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy. All animals were seronegative, providing no evidence that range expansion is increasing the distribution of leprosy in the US.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carissa M Turner
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science, Program in Environmental Science, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, 615 McCallie Ave., Dept. 2653, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403, USA
| | - W J Loughry
- Department of Biology, Valdosta State University, 1500 N. Patterson St., Valdosta, Georgia 31698, USA
| | - Carolina Perez-Heydrich
- Department of Biological Sciences, Meredith College, 3800 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, North Carolina 27607, USA
| | - Thomas P Wilson
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science, Program in Environmental Science, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, 615 McCallie Ave., Dept. 2653, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403, USA
| | - Timothy J Gaudin
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science, Program in Environmental Science, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, 615 McCallie Ave., Dept. 2653, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403, USA
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Denneboom D, Bar-Massada A, Shwartz A. Wildlife mortality risk posed by high and low traffic roads. Conserv Biol 2024; 38:e14159. [PMID: 37551769 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife mortality due to collisions with vehicles (roadkill) is one of the predominant negative effects exerted by roads on many wildlife species. Reducing roadkill is therefore a major component of wildlife conservation. Roadkill is affected by various factors, including road attributes and traffic volume. It is theorized that the effect of traffic volume on roadkill probability should be unimodal. However, empirical evidence for this theory is lacking. Using a large-scale roadkill database of 18 wildlife species in Israel, encompassing 2846 km of roads over 10 years, we explored the effects of traffic volume and road attributes (e.g., road lighting, verge vegetation) on roadkill probability with a multivariate generalized linear mixed model. A unimodal effect of traffic volume was identified for the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), whereas 5 species demonstrated a novel quadratic U-shaped effect (e.g., golden jackal [Canis aureus]). Four species showed a negative linear effect (e.g., wild boar [Sus scrofa]). We also identified varying effects of road attributes on roadkill. For instance, road lighting and roadside trees decreased roadkill for several species, whereas bus stops and concrete guardrails led to increased roadkill. The theorized unimodal effect of traffic volume may only apply to large, agile species, and the U-shaped effect could be related to intraspecies variability in traffic avoidance behavior. In general, we found that both high-traffic and low-traffic roads can pose a high mortality risk for wildlife. It is therefore important to monitor roadkill on low-traffic roads and adapt road attributes to mitigate roadkill. Road design for effective roadkill mitigation includes reducing the use of concrete guardrails and median barriers where possible and avoiding dense bushes in verge landscaping. These measures are complemented by employing wildlife detection systems, driver warnings, and seasonal speed reduction measures on low-traffic roads identified as roadkill hotspots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dror Denneboom
- Human and Biodiversity Research Lab, Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Avi Bar-Massada
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Kiryat Tivon, Israel
| | - Assaf Shwartz
- Human and Biodiversity Research Lab, Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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Balčiauskas L, Kučas A, Balčiauskienė L. Mammal Roadkills in Lithuanian Urban Areas: A 15-Year Study. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3272. [PMID: 37893996 PMCID: PMC10603749 DOI: 10.3390/ani13203272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated roadkills in urban areas in Lithuania from 2007 to 2022, including two periods with COVID-19 restrictions on people's movement. We analyzed the proportions of wild and domestic animals in roadkill, annual trends, the predominant species involved, and monthly changes during the restrictions. Urban roads were characterized by a low species diversity of roadkilled mammals, with roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) dominating. Total numbers increased exponentially during the study period. The proportion of domestic animals, 12.2%, significantly exceeded that on non-urban roads in the country. The proportion of domestic animals decreased from over 40% in 2007-2009 to 3.7-5.4% in 2020-2022, while the proportion of wild mammals increased from 36.1-39.6% to 89.9-90.6%, respectively. During the periods of COVID-19 restrictions, the number of roadkills in urban areas was significantly higher than expected based on long-term trends. Compared to 2019, the number of roadkilled roe deer in 2020-2021 almost doubled from 700 to 1281-1325 individuals. These anthropause effects were, however, temporary. The imbalance between the roadkill number and transport intensity might require new mitigation strategies to sustain mammal populations in urban areas, at least through improving driver awareness on the issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linas Balčiauskas
- Laboratory of Mammalian Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania;
| | - Andrius Kučas
- Territorial Development Unit (B3), European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Via Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra, Italy;
| | - Laima Balčiauskienė
- Laboratory of Mammalian Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania;
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Balčiauskas L, Stratford J, Kučas A, Balčiauskienė L. Lockdown's Silver Lining? Different Levels of Roadkill during the COVID-19 Times in Lithuania. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2918. [PMID: 37760319 PMCID: PMC10525093 DOI: 10.3390/ani13182918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The impact of COVID-19 restrictions on human and vehicular mobility on the number of roadkills of wild mammals, and roe deer in particular, was assessed in Lithuania. We statistically analyzed the distribution of all mammals and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) as the most abundant species annually from 2002 to 2022 and monthly from 2020 to 2021, including during the two restriction periods. Notably, there was a marked decrease in roadkill incidents on main, national and regional roads, particularly in April-May 2020 (the beginning of lockdown period I) and November-December 2020 (the beginning of lockdown period II), 5.1-20.8% and 33.6-54.4%, respectively. During these months, collisions with mammals on the A14 main road were reduced by 75-90%. However, there was a significant increase in the number of roadkills in urban areas, resulting in the total number of mammal-vehicle and roe deer-vehicle collisions in 2020 and 2021 being higher than expected based on long-term trends. However, after restrictions were eased, collision numbers with wildlife on the main, national and regional roads increased again and became higher than expected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linas Balčiauskas
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos Str. 2, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania (L.B.)
| | - Jos Stratford
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos Str. 2, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania (L.B.)
| | - Andrius Kučas
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Via Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra, Italy
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Martins NB, Pinto NNR, da Silva TSG, da Hora AS. Threats to the conservation of the vulnerable giant anteater ( Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the Cerrado biome: a retrospective survey. Braz J Vet Med 2023; 45:e001023. [PMID: 37649963 PMCID: PMC10464529 DOI: 10.29374/2527-2179.bjvm001023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we conducted a retrospective survey of 63 giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) using the Federal University of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais State, Brazil as reference site for wild animals. We analyzed the clinical records of 63 animals from January 2016 to February 2020. The information obtained included the location where the anteater was found, the reason for rescue, estimated life stage, gender, weight, general condition of the animal, clinical signs, diagnosis, and destination. Of the 63 animals, 30.15%, (n = 19/63) were found in rural areas, 25.40% (n = 16/63) in urban areas, and 22.22% (n = 14/63) near highways. The main reason for rescue was run-over accidents (n = 18/63, 28.60%). Regarding life stage distribution, 27% (n = 17/63) were cubs, 25.40% (n = 16/63) were adolescent, and 41.26% (n = 26/63) were adults. There was a higher frequency of females (n = 35/63, 56%), and three (9%) of them were pregnant or had cubs. For injury evaluation, three of the 63 giant anteaters were dead on arrival at the rehabilitation site; therefore, we excluded them from this aspect of the study. Of the 60 remaining anteaters, only 13.33% (n = 8/60) of the animals were healthy upon physical examination.The most common condition was traumatic brain injury (n = 32/60 53.33%), followed by fractures (n = 23/60, 38.33%), neonate triad (n = 15/60, 25%), and abrasions (n = 15/60, 25%). The animals presented a high mortality rate (n = 39/60, 65%). The low number of giant anteaters reintroduced to their natural habitat and the high mortality rate of animals sent to rehabilitation centers show that the protection of giant anteaters is important to reduce the number of these animals sent to rehabilitation centers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathana Beatriz Martins
- Veterinarian, Resident. Programa de Residência em Medicina Veterinária - Medicina de Animais Selvagens. Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Nataly Nogueira Ribeiro Pinto
- Veterinarian, Resident. Programa de Residência em Medicina Veterinária - Medicina de Animais Selvagens. Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Tainara Santana Galvão da Silva
- Veterinarian, Resident. Programa de Residência em Medicina Veterinária - Medicina de Animais Selvagens. Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
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Moore LJ, Petrovan SO, Bates AJ, Hicks HL, Baker PJ, Perkins SE, Yarnell RW. Demographic effects of road mortality on mammalian populations: a systematic review. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1033-1050. [PMID: 36843247 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/28/2023]
Abstract
In light of rapidly expanding road networks worldwide, there is increasing global awareness of the growing amount of mammalian roadkill. However, the ways in which road mortality affects the population dynamics of different species remains largely unclear. We aimed to categorise the demographic parameters in mammalian populations around the world that are directly or indirectly affected by road mortality, as well as identify the most effective study designs for quantifying population-level consequences of road mortality. We conducted a comprehensive systematic review to synthesise literature published between 2000 and 2021 and out of 11,238 unique studies returned, 83 studies were retained comprising 69 mammalian species and 150 populations. A bias towards research-intensive countries and larger mammals was apparent. Although searches were conducted in five languages, all studies meeting the inclusion criteria were in English. Relatively few studies (13.3%) provided relevant demographic context to roadkill figures, hampering understanding of the impacts on population persistence. We categorised five direct demographic parameters affected by road mortality: sex- and age-biased mortality, the percentage of a population killed on roads per year (values up to 50% were reported), the contribution of roadkill to total mortality rates (up to 80%), and roadkill during inter-patch or long-distance movements. Female-biased mortality may be more prevalent than previously recognised and is likely to be critical to population dynamics. Roadkill was the greatest source of mortality for 28% of studied populations and both additive and compensatory mechanisms to roadkill were found to occur, bringing varied challenges to conservation around roads. In addition, intra-specific population differences in demographic effects of road mortality were common. This highlights that the relative importance of road mortality is likely to be context specific as the road configuration and habitat quality surrounding a population can vary. Road ecology studies that collect data on key life parameters, such as age/stage/sex-specific survival and dispersal success, and that use a combination of methods are critical in understanding long-term impacts. Quantifying the demographic impacts of road mortality is an important yet complex consideration for proactive road management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren J Moore
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Brackenhurst Lane, Southwell, Nottinghamshire, NG25 0QF, UK
| | - Silviu O Petrovan
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 3QZ, UK
| | - Adam J Bates
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Brackenhurst Lane, Southwell, Nottinghamshire, NG25 0QF, UK
| | - Helen L Hicks
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Brackenhurst Lane, Southwell, Nottinghamshire, NG25 0QF, UK
| | - Philip J Baker
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6AH, UK
| | - Sarah E Perkins
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Richard W Yarnell
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Brackenhurst Lane, Southwell, Nottinghamshire, NG25 0QF, UK
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Kim K, Andersen D, Jang Y. Predictive Modeling of Ungulate-Vehicle Collision in the Republic of Korea. Biology (Basel) 2023; 12:1068. [PMID: 37626954 PMCID: PMC10451958 DOI: 10.3390/biology12081068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Animal-vehicle collisions (AVC) threaten animals as well as human life and property. AVC with ungulates, called ungulate-vehicle collision (UVC), often seriously endangers human safety because of the considerable body size of ungulates. In the Republic of Korea, three ungulate species, Capreolus pygargus, Hydropotes inermis, and Sus scrofa, account for a large proportion of AVC. This study aimed to understand the characteristics of UVC by examining various parameters related to habitat, traffic, and seasonality using MaxEnt. The results showed that the peak UVC seasons coincided with the most active seasonal behaviors of the studied ungulates. For the modeling results, in C. pygargus, habitat variables are most important for models across seasons, and UVC events are most likely to occur in high mountain chains. In H. inermis, habitat and traffic variables are most important for models across seasons. Although the important habitat for the models were different across seasons for S. scrofa, the maximum speed was consistently critical for models across all seasons. Factors critical to UVC in the Republic of Korea were different for the three ungulate species and across seasons, indicating that seasonal behavior should be considered along with landscape and traffic characteristics to mitigate UVC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyungmin Kim
- Interdisciplinary Program of EcoCreative, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea;
| | - Desiree Andersen
- Department of Life Sciences and Division of EcoScience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Yikweon Jang
- Interdisciplinary Program of EcoCreative, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea;
- Department of Life Sciences and Division of EcoScience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
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8
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Rincón‐Aranguri M, Toro‐Cardona FA, Galeano SP, Roa‐Fuentes L, Urbina‐Cardona N. Functional diversity of snakes is explained by the landscape composition at multiple areas of influence. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10352. [PMID: 37502301 PMCID: PMC10369374 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Roadkill and landscape composition affect snakes at different spatial scales, depending on the functional trait value of the species, which is reflected in the functional diversity indices at the assemblage level. This study evaluated the effect of roads and landscape composition on snakes' functional diversity at different areas of influence (250, 500, 1000, and 2000 m buffer areas). We compared roadkill snake species with those assemblages inhabiting the adjacent vegetation in the Orinoco region, Colombia. We surveyed snakes using transects on the road and adjacent areas on 13 landscapes along the road. We evaluated the effect of 16 landscape metrics at six land cover classes on the snake's functional diversity at four different areas of influence (from 250 to 2000 m around the sampled sites). The functional redundancy index was higher for roadkill species, suggesting that roads eliminate species that play similar roles in the assemblage and ecosystem processes. Likewise, the low values of functional redundancy in the adjacent vegetation call attention to the fact that each species surviving in this transformed landscape has a crucial active role in ecosystem processes in snake assemblages. For roadkill snakes, forest metrics explained changes in functional richness and functional evenness at a 250 m area of influence. In comparison, transient crop and pasture metrics explained changes in functional evenness and divergence at 2000 m. For snakes inhabiting the adjacent vegetation, the cohesion of pasture explained changes in functional richness at 250 m, and forest metrics explained changes in functional redundancy and evenness at 2000 m. Anthropogenic landscape transformation may have a greater effect on snake functional diversity at local scales than roadkill. In savanna ecosystems, the presence of native forest at 2000 m radius around roads promotes the conservation of snake assemblages. However, within a 250 m radius, the risk of snake roadkill increases when the road borders native forest. Therefore, it is necessary to implement wildlife crossing in these sections of the road.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónica Rincón‐Aranguri
- Departamento de Ecología y Territorio, Facultad de Estudios Ambientales y RuralesPontificia Universidad JaverianaBogotáColombia
- Grupo Herpetológico de Antioquia, Instituto de BiologíaUniversidad de AntioquiaMedellínColombia
| | - Felipe A. Toro‐Cardona
- Grupo de Ecología y Evolución de Vertebrados, Instituto de BiologíaUniversidad de AntioquiaMedellínColombia
| | - Sandra P. Galeano
- Centro de Colecciones y Gestión de EspeciesInstituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von HumboldtVilla de LeyvaColombia
| | - Lilia Roa‐Fuentes
- Departamento de Ecología y Territorio, Facultad de Estudios Ambientales y RuralesPontificia Universidad JaverianaBogotáColombia
| | - Nicolás Urbina‐Cardona
- Departamento de Ecología y Territorio, Facultad de Estudios Ambientales y RuralesPontificia Universidad JaverianaBogotáColombia
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Viviano A, D'Amico M, Mori E. Aliens on the Road: Surveying Wildlife Roadkill to Assess the Risk of Biological Invasion. Biology (Basel) 2023; 12:850. [PMID: 37372135 DOI: 10.3390/biology12060850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Monitoring the presence and distribution of alien species is pivotal to assessing the risk of biological invasion. In our study, we carried out a worldwide review of roadkill data to investigate geographical patterns of biological invasions. We hypothesise that roadkill data from published literature can turn out to be a valuable resource for researchers and wildlife managers, especially when more focused surveys cannot be performed. We retrieved a total of 2314 works published until January 2022. Among those, only 41 (including our original data) fitted our requirements (i.e., including a total list of roadkilled terrestrial vertebrates, with a number of affected individuals for each species) and were included in our analysis. All roadkilled species from retrieved studies were classified as native or introduced (domestic, paleo-introduced, or recently released). We found that a higher number of introduced species would be recorded among roadkill in Mediterranean and Temperate areas with respect to Tropical and Desert biomes. This is definitely in line with the current knowledge on alien species distribution at the global scale, thus confirming that roadkill datasets can be used beyond the study of road impacts, such as for an assessment of different levels of biological invasions among different countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Viviano
- Istituto di Ricerca sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Marcello D'Amico
- Department of Conservation Biology and Global Change, Doñana Biological Station, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 41092 Seville, Spain
| | - Emiliano Mori
- Istituto di Ricerca sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133 Palermo, Italy
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Raymond S, Spencer M, Chadwick EA, Madden JR, Perkins SE. The impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns on wildlife-vehicle collisions in the UK. J Anim Ecol 2023. [PMID: 37072892 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) cause millions of vertebrate mortalities globally, threatening population viability and influencing wildlife behaviour and survival. Traffic volume and speed can influence wildlife mortality on roads, but roadkill risk is species specific and depends on ecological traits. The COVID-19 pandemic, and associated UK-wide lockdowns, offered a unique opportunity to investigate how reducing traffic volume alters WVC. These periods of reduced human mobility have been coined the 'anthropause'. We used the anthropause to identify which ecological traits may render species vulnerable to WVC. We did this by comparing the relative change in WVC of species with differing traits before and during the anthropause. We used Generalised Additive Model predictions to assess which of the 19 species most frequently observed as WVC in the UK exhibited changes in road mortality during two lockdown periods, March-May 2020 and December 2020-March 2021, relative to the same time periods in previous years (2014-2019). Compositional data analysis was used to identify ecological traits associated with changes in the relative number of observations during lockdown periods compared to previous years. WVC were, across all species, 80% lower during the anthropause than predicted. Compositional data analysis revealed proportionally fewer reports of nocturnal mammals, urban visitors, mammals with greater brain mass and birds with a longer flight initiation distance. Species that have several of these traits, and correspondingly significantly lower than predicted WVC during lockdowns, included badgers Meles meles, foxes Vulpes vulpes, and pheasants, Phasianus colchicus; we posit they stand to benefit most from reduced traffic, and, of the species studied here, have highest mortality under 'normal' traffic levels. This study identifies traits and species that may have experienced a temporary reprieve during the anthropause, and highlights the impacts of traffic-induced mortality on species numbers and ultimately on trait frequency in a road-dominated landscape. By taking advantage of reductions in traffic offered by the anthropause, we can understand how vehicles influence wildlife survival and behaviour and may be exerting a selective force for certain species and traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Raymond
- The Sir Martin Evans Building, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Matthew Spencer
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3GP, UK
| | - Elizabeth A Chadwick
- The Sir Martin Evans Building, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Joah R Madden
- Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Sarah E Perkins
- The Sir Martin Evans Building, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK
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Anđelković M, Bogdanović N. Amphibian and Reptile Road Mortality in Special Nature Reserve Obedska Bara, Serbia. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:561. [PMID: 35268129 DOI: 10.3390/ani12050561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Amphibians and reptiles are the most threatened vertebrates by traffic, especially near ponds and wetlands. The main aim of this study was to examine seasonal and spatial patterns of amphibian and reptile road mortality in Special Nature Reserve "Obedska bara" (Serbia). We chose a road section of 4.2 km near the largest wetland in Serbia, with two different habitat types (forest-pond and agricultural area-pond). During 2018 (32 fieldwork days) and 2019-2020 (three control fieldwork days), we found 20,457 and 2231 road-killed animals, respectively. We recorded nine amphibian and eight reptile species. Amphibians (93%) were more vulnerable to traffic than reptiles (7%). The number of killed amphibians and reptiles varied between the seasons. Generally, amphibian roadkill was most frequent during the summer, whereas reptile roadkill was most frequent in spring and at the end of the summer. Furthermore, different roadkill patterns were observed during the examined months. In addition, we found that habitat type significantly affects the vulnerability of animals towards the roads. For both amphibians and reptiles, there were significant aggregations of roadkill, and most hotspots were located at the forest pond habitat type where mitigation measures must be applied (construction of tunnels and fences).
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12
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Galea B, Humle T. Identifying and mitigating the impacts on primates of transportation and service corridors. Conserv Biol 2022; 36:e13836. [PMID: 34490657 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Most primate populations are declining; 60% of species face extinction. The expansion of transportation and service corridors (T&S) (i.e., roads and railways and utility and service lines) poses a significant yet underappreciated threat. With the development of T&S corridors predicted to increase across primates' ranges, it is necessary to understand the current extent of its impacts on primates, the available options to mitigate these effectively, and recognize research and knowledge gaps. By employing a systematic search approach to identify literature that described the relationship between primates and T&S corridors, we extracted information from 327 studies published between 1980 and 2020. Our results revealed that 218 species and subspecies across 62 genera are affected, significantly more than the 92 listed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The majority of studies took place in Asia (45%), followed by mainland Africa (31%), the Neotropics (22%), and Madagascar (2%). Brazil, Indonesia, Equatorial Guinea, Vietnam, and Madagascar contained the greatest number of affected primate species. Asia featured the highest number of species affected by roads, electrical transmission lines, and pipelines and the only studies addressing the impact of rail and aerial tramways on primates. The impact of seismic lines only emerged in the literature from Africa and the Neotropics. Impacts are diverse and multifaceted, for example, animal-vehicle collisions, electrocutions, habitat loss and fragmentation, impeded movement and genetic exchange, behavioral changes, exposure to pollution, and mortality associated with hunting. Although several mitigation measures were recommended, only 41% of studies focused on their implementation, whereas only 29% evaluated their effectiveness. Finally, there was a clear bias in the species and regions benefiting from research on this topic. We recommend that government and conservation bodies recognize T&S corridors as a serious and mounting threat to primates and that further research in this area is encouraged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Galea
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Tatyana Humle
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
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Rohner S, Wohlsein P, Prenger-Berninghoff E, Ewers C, Waindok P, Strube C, Baechlein C, Becher P, Wilmes D, Rickerts V, Siebert U. Pathological Findings in Eurasian Otters ( Lutra lutra) Found Dead between 2015-2020 in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Animals (Basel) 2021; 12:59. [PMID: 35011165 PMCID: PMC8749874 DOI: 10.3390/ani12010059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In times of massive biodiversity loss and ongoing environmental crises, it is extremely important to ensure long-term conservation efforts of threatened species like Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra). To gain insights into the status of Northern Germany's otter population, 92 otters found dead in Schleswig-Holstein between 2015-2020 were collected and underwent detailed dissection with the aim to establish a monitoring program for this population. Examinations followed a protocol especially designed for otters, including various biological data assessments and extended sampling. The finding sites showed a clear concentration in the Continental region. Seasonal concentration differed among the years, yet peaks were seen from fall to winter. Overall, more males than females were found, although this differed among the years. The majority of otters that could be aged were between 1-3 years. Placental scars and pregnancy were recorded in only few females. Nutritional status was good in most cases. Infectious diseases found included Vagococcus lutrae, Toxoplasma gondii, and Emmonsia spp. A major cause of death was roadkill. Known sample bias in studies focusing on roadkill was considered in the finding interpretation. Continuation of the population health investigations is mandatory to analyze potential trends and to establish an actual monitoring program for Eurasian otters in Schleswig-Holstein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Rohner
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany;
| | - Peter Wohlsein
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany;
| | - Ellen Prenger-Berninghoff
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany; (E.P.-B.); (C.E.)
| | - Christa Ewers
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany; (E.P.-B.); (C.E.)
| | - Patrick Waindok
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Institute for Parasitology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (P.W.); (C.S.)
| | - Christina Strube
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Institute for Parasitology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (P.W.); (C.S.)
| | - Christine Baechlein
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (C.B.); (P.B.)
- Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES), Food and Veterinary Institute Braunschweig/Hannover, 30173 Hannover, Germany
| | - Paul Becher
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (C.B.); (P.B.)
| | - Dunja Wilmes
- Robert Koch Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany; (D.W.); (V.R.)
| | - Volker Rickerts
- Robert Koch Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany; (D.W.); (V.R.)
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany;
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Park HB, Woo D, Choi TY, Hong S. Assessment of the Behavioural Response of Korean Water Deer ( Hydropotes inermis argyropus) to Different Fence Heights. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11040938. [PMID: 33810250 PMCID: PMC8067234 DOI: 10.3390/ani11040938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The present study aimed to investigate the success rate of fences and classify the behavioural responses of Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) to different fence heights. The dominant behaviours before the deer crossed the fences by performing vertical and running jumps were recession and rest when the fence heights were lower or higher than 1.2 m, respectively. The general threshold (fence height) for discriminating success or failure was 0.9 m; however, we recommend a fence height of 1.5 m, considering the cost and roadkill risk. Placing exit pathways for deer and eliminating possible resting areas outside fences are essential for reducing the number of successful jump attempts. Abstract Fences have been widely implemented to reduce the risk of wildlife–vehicle collisions, wildlife disease spread, and crop damage. To manufacture fences, it is imperative to assess the behavioural responses of the target species. Here, we investigated the success rate of fences and classified eight behavioural responses of Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) to different fence heights. We explored the association of 801 behavioural responses and defined a threshold based on 40 events by applying non-metric multidimensional scaling and a binary logistic generalised linear mixed model. With fences lower and higher than 1.2 m, recession and rest were the dominant behaviours, respectively, before the deer crossed the fences by performing vertical and running jumps. Considering all independent events, 0.9 m was the marginal threshold, with highly variable outliers over this value. Placing exit pathways for deer and eliminating possible resting areas outside fences are essential for reducing the number of successful jump attempts. The optimal fence height could differ based on conditional factors; however, we recommend a height of 1.5 m considering the cost and roadkill risk. In conclusion, exploring and classifying the behavioural responses of the target species may be critical for establishing appropriate fence protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hee-Bok Park
- Research Center for Endangered Species, National Institute of Ecology, Yeongyang-gun 36531, Korea;
| | - Donggul Woo
- Division of Ecological Conservation, National Institute of Ecology, Seocheon-gun 33657, Korea;
| | - Tae Young Choi
- Research Center for Endangered Species, National Institute of Ecology, Yeongyang-gun 36531, Korea;
- Correspondence: (T.Y.C.); (S.H.); Tel.: +82-54-680-7210 (T.Y.C.); +82-10-3159-0428 (S.H.); Fax: +82-54-530-1959 (S.H.)
| | - Sungwon Hong
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Korea
- Department of Horse, Companion, and Wild Animal Science, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Korea
- Correspondence: (T.Y.C.); (S.H.); Tel.: +82-54-680-7210 (T.Y.C.); +82-10-3159-0428 (S.H.); Fax: +82-54-530-1959 (S.H.)
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Łopucki R, Kitowski I, Perlińska-Teresiak M, Klich D. How Is Wildlife Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic? Lockdown Effect on the Road Mortality of Hedgehogs. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:868. [PMID: 33803714 PMCID: PMC8003024 DOI: 10.3390/ani11030868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Globally, wildlife is affected by unprecedented changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, the lockdown effect on the traffic-related mortality in hedgehogs in an urban area was studied. Comparing the pre-pandemic (2018 and 2019) and pandemic (2020) years, we showed that hedgehog roadkill levels during the lockdown period were over 50% lower (which means a decrease greater than the decrease in road traffic in the same period measured by the number of accidents or the average number of vehicles per day). Based on literature data, we showed that this may mean at least tens of thousands of hedgehogs have survived on a national scale. We report the need to start intensive research on the possible demographic and genetic effects of this unique phenomenon. We also ask how stable the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic will be on wildlife and whether the lockdown (which is an anthropause) may reverse the negative trends in the decline in the number of wild species, including hedgehogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafał Łopucki
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Konstantynów 1J, 20-708 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Ignacy Kitowski
- State School of Higher Education in Chełm, Pocztowa 54, 22-100 Chełm, Poland;
| | - Magdalena Perlińska-Teresiak
- Department of Animal Genetics and Conservation, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Ciszewskiego 8, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Daniel Klich
- Department of Animal Genetics and Conservation, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Ciszewskiego 8, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland;
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Allio R, Tilak MK, Scornavacca C, Avenant NL, Kitchener AC, Corre E, Nabholz B, Delsuc F. High-quality carnivoran genomes from roadkill samples enable comparative species delineation in aardwolf and bat-eared fox. eLife 2021; 10:e63167. [PMID: 33599612 PMCID: PMC7963486 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In a context of ongoing biodiversity erosion, obtaining genomic resources from wildlife is essential for conservation. The thousands of yearly mammalian roadkill provide a useful source material for genomic surveys. To illustrate the potential of this underexploited resource, we used roadkill samples to study the genomic diversity of the bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis) and the aardwolf (Proteles cristatus), both having subspecies with similar disjunct distributions in Eastern and Southern Africa. First, we obtained reference genomes with high contiguity and gene completeness by combining Nanopore long reads and Illumina short reads. Then, we showed that the two subspecies of aardwolf might warrant species status (P. cristatus and P. septentrionalis) by comparing their genome-wide genetic differentiation to pairs of well-defined species across Carnivora with a new Genetic Differentiation index (GDI) based on only a few resequenced individuals. Finally, we obtained a genome-scale Carnivora phylogeny including the new aardwolf species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rémi Allio
- Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Marie-Ka Tilak
- Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Celine Scornavacca
- Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Nico L Avenant
- National Museum and Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free StateBloemfonteinSouth Africa
| | - Andrew C Kitchener
- Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums ScotlandEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Erwan Corre
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, ABiMS, Station Biologique de RoscoffRoscoffFrance
| | - Benoit Nabholz
- Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF)ParisFrance
| | - Frédéric Delsuc
- Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
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Jamhuri J, Edinoor MA, Kamarudin N, Lechner AM, Ashton‐Butt A, Azhar B. Higher mortality rates for large- and medium-sized mammals on plantation roads compared to highways in Peninsular Malaysia. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:12049-12058. [PMID: 33209269 PMCID: PMC7663984 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The fragmentation of forests by agricultural expansion, urbanization, and road networks is an ongoing global biodiversity crisis. In Southeast Asia and other tropical regions, wildlife populations are being isolated into pockets of natural habitat surrounded by road networks and monoculture plantations. Mortality from wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) is contributing to a decline in many species of conservation priority in human-modified landscapes. This study is the first in Malaysia to investigate factors affecting the occurrence of WVCs. We assessed roadkill data gathered by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks on small-, medium-, and large-sized mammals in Peninsular Malaysia. We examined the relationship between wildlife road accidents and several environmental factors. We found a total of 605 roadkill animals, involving 21 species, which included three species classified as Endangered. Road type (plantation road or highway), year, and distance of the road from continuous and fragmented forests were significant in determining mammal mortality. Unexpectedly, the majority of road mortality occurred on palm oil plantation roads compared to highways. Mortality of small- and medium-sized mammals was greater at locations further from continuous forest than those closer to fragmented forests. Segmentation of continuous forest by roads should be avoided wherever possible to reduce the threat of roads on crossing wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamaluddin Jamhuri
- Department of Forest Science and BiodiversityFaculty of Forestry and EnvironmentUniversiti Putra MalaysiaSelangorMalaysia
| | | | - Norizah Kamarudin
- Department of Forest Science and BiodiversityFaculty of Forestry and EnvironmentUniversiti Putra MalaysiaSelangorMalaysia
| | - Alex M. Lechner
- School of Environmental and Geographical SciencesUniversity of Nottingham Malaysia CampusSemenyihMalaysia
- Lincoln Centre for Water and Planetary HealthSchool of GeographyUniversity of LincolnLincolnUK
| | - Adham Ashton‐Butt
- British Trust for OrnithologyThetfordUK
- School of Biological and Marine SciencesUniversity of HullHullUK
| | - Badrul Azhar
- Department of Forest Science and BiodiversityFaculty of Forestry and EnvironmentUniversiti Putra MalaysiaSelangorMalaysia
- Biodiversity UnitInstitute of BioscienceUniversiti Putra MalaysiaSerdangMalaysia
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Filius J, van der Hoek Y, Jarrín‐V P, van Hooft P. Wildlife roadkill patterns in a fragmented landscape of the Western Amazon. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:6623-6635. [PMID: 32724537 PMCID: PMC7381557 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the most evident and direct effects of roads on wildlife is the death of animals by vehicle collision. Understanding the spatial patterns behind roadkill helps to plan mitigation measures to reduce the impacts of roads on animal populations. However, although roadkill patterns have been extensively studied in temperate zones, the potential impacts of roads on wildlife in the Neotropics have received less attention and are particularly poorly understood in the Western Amazon. Here, we present the results of a study on roadkill in the Amazon region of Ecuador; a region that is affected by a rapidly increasing development of road infrastructure. Over the course of 50 days, in the wet season between September and November 2017, we searched for road-killed vertebrates on 15.9 km of roads near the city of Tena, Napo province, for a total of 1,590 surveyed kilometers. We recorded 593 dead specimens, predominantly reptiles (237 specimens, 40%) and amphibians (190, 32%), with birds (102, 17%) and mammals (64, 11%) being less common. Recorded species were assigned to three functional groups, based on their movement behavior and habitat use ("slow," "intermediate," and "fast"). Using Ripley's K statistical analyses and 2D HotSpot Identification Analysis, we found multiple distinct spatial clusters or hotspots, where roadkill was particularly frequent. Factors that potentially determined these clusters, and the prevalence of roadkill along road segments in general, differed between functional groups, but often included land cover variables such as native forest and waterbodies, and road characteristics such as speed limit (i.e., positive effect on roadkill frequency). Our study, which provides a first summary of species that are commonly found as roadkill in this part of the Amazon region, contributes to a better understanding of the negative impacts of roads on wildlife and is an important first step toward conservation efforts to mitigate these impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Filius
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation GroupWageningen University & ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Yntze van der Hoek
- Universidad Regional Amazónica IkiamTenaEcuador
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund InternationalMusanzeRwanda
| | - Pablo Jarrín‐V
- Grupo de Población y AmbienteUniversidad Regional Amazónica IkiamTenaEcuador
| | - Pim van Hooft
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation GroupWageningen University & ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
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Englefield B, Candy SG, Starling M, McGreevy PD. A Trial of a Solar-Powered, Cooperative Sensor/Actuator, Opto-Acoustical, Virtual Road-Fence to Mitigate Roadkill in Tasmania, Australia. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:E752. [PMID: 31575033 DOI: 10.3390/ani9100752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The Australian state of Tasmania has a high rate of roadkill, so any method that reduces roadkill in this state deserves attention. A commercial roadkill mitigation device, which combines an auditory warning signal with flashing blue and amber lights in linked units to form a so-called virtual fence, is said to reduce roadkill by up to 90%. For the current trial, a virtual fence was installed on a 4.5-km segment of Tasmanian highway south of Hobart and roadkill was monitored on a daily basis for a period of 126 days. Sections of the virtual fence were switched on or off, according to a predetermined experimental design. Bennett’s wallabies, Tasmanian pademelons, and common brush-tail possums accounted for most of the total roadkill of 174 animals over the study period. For these three species, four complementary methods of analysis failed to reveal any significant effect of the virtual fence in reducing roadkill. This study does not confirm previously reported estimates of reduction in roadkill rates of 50%–90%. Abstract When wildlife and motor vehicles collide, the result for the animals is often death (roadkill). A commercial roadkill mitigation device that forms a so-called virtual fence (VF), is said to reduce roadkill by up to 90%. A field trial to test its effectiveness was undertaken along a 4.5-km segment of a Tasmanian highway subdivided into 6 equal sections. A total of 126 days of monitoring of roadkill by species was conducted, with alternate sections being switched on or off, according to a variation of Crossover and Multiple Before-After-Control-Impact experimental designs that divided monitoring into five periods. From the six sections over the five periods, the 30 aggregated values of daily counts of roadkill for each species were modelled. Bennett’s wallabies (BW) (Notamacropus rufogriseus), Tasmanian pademelons (TP) (Thylogale billardierii) and common brush-tail possums (BP) (Trichosurus vulpecula) accounted for most of the total roadkill of 174 animals. Although initially there appeared to be an effect, linear model fits to standardised roadkill rates were not statistically significant for each of BW, TP, and BP using each of the Crossover, Multiple Before-After-Control-Impact, and simple On versus Off comparisons. Adjustment for spatial and temporal trends using a Generalised Additive Model with Poisson error also failed to detect a significant VF effect. A simulation study used to estimate the power to detect a statistically significant reduction in roadkill rate gave, for median estimates of reduction of 21%, 48%, and 57%, estimates of power of 0.24, 0.78, and 0.91, respectively. Therefore, this study failed to confirm previously reported estimates of reduction in roadkill rates claimed for this VF of 50%–90%, despite having adequate power to do so. However, point estimates obtained for these three species of reductions ranging from 13% to 32% leave open the question of there being a real but modest effect that was below statistical detection limits.
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Choi J, Lee S. Application of Habitat Evaluation Procedure with Quantifying the Eco-Corridor in the Process of Environmental Impact Assessment. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019; 16:E1437. [PMID: 31018499 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16081437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In contrast to other fields, environmental protection (e.g., habitat protection) often fails to include quantitative evaluation as part of the existing environmental impact assessment (EIA) process, and therefore the EIA is often a poor forecasting tool, which makes selecting a reasonable plan of action difficult. In this study, we used the Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEP) to quantify the long-term effects of a road construction project on an ecosystem. The water deer (Hydropotes inermis) was selected as the species of study since it uses an optimum habitat; water deer habitat data were collected on vegetation cover, stream water density, geographic contour, land use class, and road networks. The Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) and Cumulative Habitat Unit (CHU) values for the water deer were estimated to investigate the major land cover classes, the national river systems, and vegetation cover. Results showed that the environmental impact in the road construction project area would result in a net ecological loss value of 1211 without installation of an eco-corridor, which reduced to 662 with an eco-corridor, providing a 55% increase in the net value after 50 years of the mitigation plan. Comparing the 13 proposed ecological mitigation corridors, the corridor that would result in the highest net increase (with an increase of 69.5), was corridor #4, which was regarded as the most appropriate corridor to properly connect water deer habitat. In sum, the study derived the net increase in quantitative values corresponding with different mitigation methods over time for a road construction project; this procedure can be effectively utilized in the future to select the location of ecological corridors while considering the costs of constructing them.
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Szekeres S, Docters van Leeuwen A, Tóth E, Majoros G, Sprong H, Földvári G. Road-killed mammals provide insight into tick-borne bacterial pathogen communities within urban habitats. Transbound Emerg Dis 2018; 66:277-286. [PMID: 30230270 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Small- and medium-sized mammals play an important role in the life cycle of tick-borne pathogens in urban habitats. Our aim was to apply the general protocol, DAMA (documentation-assessment-monitoring-action), which is an integrated proposal to build a proactive capacity to understand, anticipate, and respond to the outcomes of accelerating environmental change. Here we tested whether road-killed carcasses in urban areas are useful sources of tissue and parasite samples to investigate these species' contribution to the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases. We collected 29 road-killed and 6 carcasses with different causes of mortality (23 northern white-breasted hedgehogs and 12 from seven other mammal species) mainly from Budapest, Hungary. We used quantitative and conventional PCRs to determine pathogens in 90 collected tissues (52 from hedgehogs; 38 from other species) and 417 ticks that were only found on hedgehogs. Tissue samples revealed a wide range of bacteria including human zoonotic pathogens identified as Anaplasma phagocytophilum ecotype I, Borrelia afzelii, B. spielmanii, Borrelia miyamotoi, Rickettsia helvetica, and Bartonella species. Among the 23 collected hedgehog carcasses, 17 (74%) were infected with A. phagocytophilum, 6 (26%) with Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., 12 (52%) with R. helvetica, and 15 (65%) with Rickettsia sp. Furthermore, we report the first detection of Rickettsia sp. infection in European moles and lesser weasel and R. helvetica in stone marten. Through sequencing B. afzelii, R. helvetica, R. monacensis and A. phagocytophilum ecotype I were identified in the ticks removed from the carcasses. We showed that road-killed urban mammal species are exposed to multiple tick-borne pathogens but further studies have to clarify whether they, in fact, also have a role in their maintenance and spread. Our study also demonstrates that roadkill can be used in the risk assessment of potential human infection and in the implementation of the DAMA protocol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sándor Szekeres
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Arieke Docters van Leeuwen
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Evelin Tóth
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor Majoros
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Hein Sprong
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Gábor Földvári
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary.,Evolutionary Systems Research Group, Centre for Ecological Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Tihany, Hungary
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Madden JR, Perkins SE. Why did the pheasant cross the road? Long-term road mortality patterns in relation to management changes. R Soc Open Sci 2017; 4:170617. [PMID: 29134073 PMCID: PMC5666256 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) are commonly killed on UK roads, presenting a threat to motorists and a loss to the game shooting industry. Pheasants may be inherently susceptible, or the recent increase in their artificial rearing and release may have exacerbated the situation, either through population increases or because artificial rearing has altered movement behaviour. We compared intra-annual patterns of roadkill reported in the UK from the 1960s (prior to the onset of mass release programmes) with that from the 2010s (when pheasant release was well established and widespread), considering roadkill sex and locations and accounting for changes in traffic levels. Pheasants in the UK are disproportionately likely to be reported killed on roads. However, this likelihood has not changed notably over the past 50 years. Instead, the timing of roadkill has changed. Pheasants in the 2010s are no longer susceptible during their breeding season, unlike in the 1960s, perhaps because relatively few breed successfully. Instead, roadkill first peaks in September-November as pheasants disperse from release pens, females first. Roadkill declines over winter, but when supplementary feeding ceases in February, we see a second peak in roadkill. Roadkill rates are higher in regions of the UK where there is little arable farming and hence natural food supplies are scarce.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joah R. Madden
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
- Author for correspondence: Joah R. Madden e-mail:
| | - Sarah E. Perkins
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK
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Visintin C, van der Ree R, McCarthy MA. A simple framework for a complex problem? Predicting wildlife-vehicle collisions. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:6409-21. [PMID: 27648252 PMCID: PMC5016659 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Revised: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Collisions of vehicles with wildlife kill and injure animals and are also a risk to vehicle occupants, but preventing these collisions is challenging. Surveys to identify problem areas are expensive and logistically difficult. Computer modeling has identified correlates of collisions, yet these can be difficult for managers to interpret in a way that will help them reduce collision risk. We introduce a novel method to predict collision risk by modeling hazard (presence and movement of vehicles) and exposure (animal presence) across geographic space. To estimate the hazard, we predict relative traffic volume and speed along road segments across southeastern Australia using regression models based on human demographic variables. We model exposure by predicting suitable habitat for our case study species (Eastern Grey Kangaroo Macropus giganteus) based on existing fauna survey records and geographic and climatic variables. Records of reported kangaroo-vehicle collisions are used to investigate how these factors collectively contribute to collision risk. The species occurrence (exposure) model generated plausible predictions across the study area, reducing the null deviance by 30.4%. The vehicle (hazard) models explained 54.7% variance in the traffic volume data and 58.7% in the traffic speed data. Using these as predictors of collision risk explained 23.7% of the deviance in incidence of collisions. Discrimination ability of the model was good when predicting to an independent dataset. The research demonstrates that collision risks can be modeled across geographic space with a conceptual analytical framework using existing sources of data, reducing the need for expensive or time-consuming field data collection. The framework is novel because it disentangles natural and anthropogenic effects on the likelihood of wildlife-vehicle collisions by representing hazard and exposure with separate, tunable submodels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey Visintin
- Quantitative and Applied Ecology GroupSchool of BioSciencesUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVic.3010Australia
| | - Rodney van der Ree
- Australian Research Centre for Urban EcologyRoyal Botanic Gardens Victoria and School of BioSciencesUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVic.3010Australia
| | - Michael A. McCarthy
- Quantitative and Applied Ecology GroupSchool of BioSciencesUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVic.3010Australia
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Collinson WJ, Parker DM, Bernard RTF, Reilly BK, Davies-Mostert HT. Wildlife road traffic accidents: a standardized protocol for counting flattened fauna. Ecol Evol 2014; 4:3060-71. [PMID: 25247063 PMCID: PMC4161179 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2013] [Revised: 04/03/2014] [Accepted: 04/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous assessments of wildlife road mortality have not used directly comparable methods and, at present, there is no standardized protocol for the collection of such data. Consequently, there are no internationally comparative statistics documenting roadkill rates. In this study, we used a combination of experimental trials and road transects to design a standardized protocol to assess roadkill rates on both paved and unpaved roads. Simulated roadkill were positioned over a 1 km distance, and trials were conducted at eight different speeds (20-100 km·h(-1)). The recommended protocol was then tested on a 100-km transect, driven daily over a 40-day period. This recorded 413 vertebrate roadkill, comprising 106 species. We recommend the protocol be adopted for future road ecology studies to enable robust statistical comparisons between studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy J Collinson
- The Endangered Wildlife Trust Johannesburg, South Africa ; Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University Grahamstown, South Africa ; Department of Nature Conservation, Tshwane University of Technology Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Daniel M Parker
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Ric T F Bernard
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Brian K Reilly
- Department of Nature Conservation, Tshwane University of Technology Pretoria, South Africa
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