Cookies Policy
X

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

I accept this policy

Find out more here

Spatial analysis of amphibian road mortality levels in northern Portugal country roads

No metrics data to plot.
The attempt to load metrics for this article has failed.
The attempt to plot a graph for these metrics has failed.
The full text of this article is not currently available.

Brill’s MyBook program is exclusively available on BrillOnline Books and Journals. Students and scholars affiliated with an institution that has purchased a Brill E-Book on the BrillOnline platform automatically have access to the MyBook option for the title(s) acquired by the Library. Brill MyBook is a print-on-demand paperback copy which is sold at a favorably uniform low price.

Access this article

+ Tax (if applicable)
Add to Favorites
You must be logged in to use this functionality

image of Amphibia-Reptilia

Animal mortality caused by vehicle collisions is one of the main ecological impacts of roads. Amphibians are the most affected group and road fatalities have a significant impact on population dynamics and viability. Several studies on Iberian amphibians have shown the importance of country roads on amphibian road mortality, but still, little is known about the situation in northern Portugal. By being more permeable to amphibian passage, country roads represent a greater source of mortality than highways, which act as barriers. Thus, mitigation measures should be applied, but due to the extensive road network, the identification of precise locations (hotspots) and variables related to animal-vehicle collision is needed to plan these measures successfully. The aim of the study was to analyse the spatial occurrence and related factors linked to amphibian mortality on a number of country roads in northern Portugal, using spatial statistics implemented in GIS and applying a binary logistical regression. We surveyed 631 km of road corresponding to seven transects, and observed 404 individual amphibians: 74 (18.3%) alive and 330 (81.7%) road-killed. Bufo bufo represented 80% of the mortality records. Three transects showed clustered distribution of road-kills, and broadleaved forests and road ditches were the most important factors associated with hotspots of road-kill. Logistic regression models showed that habitat quality, Bufo bufo’s habitat preferences, and road ditches are positively associated with amphibians’ road mortality in northern Portugal, whereas average altitude and length of walls were negatively associated. This study is a useful tool to understand spatial occurrence of amphibian road-kills in the face of applying mitigation measures on country roads from northern Portugal. This study also considers the necessity of assessing the condition of amphibian local populations to understand their road-kills spatial patterns and the urgency to apply mitigation measures on country roads.

Affiliations: 1: Centro de Investigação em Ciências Geo-Espaciais (CICGE), Universidade do Porto, Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território, Rua Campo Alegre, 687, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal

Loading

Full text loading...

Spatial analysis of amphibian road mortality levels in northern Portugal country roads
Amphibia-Reptilia 33, 3-4, 469 (2012); https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-00002850
/content/journals/10.1163/15685381-00002850
/content/journals/10.1163/15685381-00002850
Loading

Data & Media loading...

1. Almeida N.F. , Almeida P.F. , Gonçalves H. , Sequeira F. , Teixeira J. , Almeida F.F. ( 2001): Anfíbios e Répteis de Portugal. Guias FAPAS Fundo para Protecção da Vida Selvagem. Porto. 249 pp.
2. Andrews K.M. , Gibbons J.W. , Jochimsen D.M. ( 2008): "Ecological effects of roads on amphibians and reptiles: A literature review". In: Urban Herpetology. Herpetological Conservation, Vol 3: 121- 143. Mitchell J.C. , Jung Brown R.E. , Bartholomew R.E. , Eds.
3. Ascensão F. , Mira A. ( 2006): Spatial patterns of road-kills: a case study in southern Portugal. In: Irwin, C.L., Garrett, P., McDermott, K.P., (eds.), Proceedings of the 2005 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation. Center for Transportation and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC: 641-646.
4. Bager A. , Rosa C.A. ( 2010): "Priority ranking of road sites for mitigating wildlife roadkill". Biota Neotrop Vol 10: 2- 7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1676-06032010000400020
5. Baptista N. ( 2006): Amphibian roadkills: hotspot analysis and locations of amphibian underpasses using Gorelick’s index. Tese de Mestrado em Biologia da Conservação. Universidade de Évora. 51 pp.
6. Caetano M. , Nunes V. , Nunes A. ( 2009): CORINE Land Cover 2006 for Continental Portugal – Relatório técnico, Instituto Geográfico Português.
7. Carr L.W. , Fahrig L. ( 2001): "Effect of road traffic on two amphibian species of differing vagility". Conservation Biology Vol 15: 1071- 1078. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2001.0150041071.x
8. Carretero M.A. , Rossel C. ( 2000): "Incidencia del atropello de anfibios, reptiles y otros vertebrates en un tramo de carretera de construcción reciente". Boletín de la Associacion Herpetologica Espanola Vol 11: 39- 42.
9. Carretero M. , Sequeira F. , Gonçalves H. ( 2002a): Anfíbios e Répteis do Sítio “Natura 2000”: Distribuição e conservação. Instituto da Conservação da Natureza (ICN) and CIBIO. 107 pp.
10. Carretero M.A. , Teixeira J. , Sequeira F. , Gonçalves H. , Soares C. , Ferrand N. ( 2002b): Inventariação, distribuição e conservação da Herpetofauna do Sítio “Natura 2000” – Alvão Marão – Relatório Final. Herpetofauna. 68 pp.
11. CCDR-N( 2009): Plano regional de ordenamento do território do norte – PROT-NORTE: Acessibilidades, Mobilidade e Logística. Relatório Sectorial. 173 pp.
12. Clark P.J. , Evans F.C. ( 1954): "Distance to nearest neighbour as a measure of spatial relationships in populations". Ecology Vol 35: 445- 453. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1931034
13. Clarke G. , White P.C.L. , Harris S. ( 1998): "Effects of roads on badger Meles melespopulations in south-west England". Biological Conservation Vol 86: 117- 124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(98)00018-4
14. Clevenger A. , Chruszcz B. , Gunson K.E. ( 2003): "Spatial patterns and factors influencing small vertebrate fauna road-kill aggregations". Biological Conservation Vol 109: 15- 26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(02)00127-1
15. Denton J.S. , Beebee T.J.C. ( 1994): "The basis of niche separation during terrestrial life between two species of toad ( Bufo bufoand Bufo calamita): competition or specialisation?" Oecologia Vol 97: 390- 398. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00317330
16. Dewoody A. , Hoover M. , Dunning B. ( 2010): Monitoring and predicting traffic induced vertebrate mortality near wetlands. Joint Transportation Research Program, Indiana Department of Transportation and Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 2010.
17. Dodd C.K. , Barichivich W.J. , Smith L.L. ( 2004): "Effectiveness of a barrier wall and culverts in reducing wildlife mortality on a heavily traveled highway in Florida". Biol. Cons. Vol 118: 619- 631. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2003.10.011
18. Elzanowski A. , Ciesiołkiewicz J. , Kaczor M. , Radwańska J. , Urban R. ( 2009): "Amphibian road mortality in Europe: a meta-analysis with new data from Poland". European Journal of Wildlife Research Vol 55: 33- 43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10344-008-0211-x
19. ESRI( 2009): ArcGis Desktop 9.3, ESRI. Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. Redlands, California, USA.
20. Fahrig L. , Pedlar J.H. , Pope S.E. , Taylor P.D. , Wegner J.F. ( 1995): "Effect of road traffic on amphibian density". Biol. Cons. Vol 75: 312.
21. Fahrig L. , Rytwinski T. ( 2009): "Effects of roads on animal abundance: an empirical review". Ecology and Society Vol 14: 21.
22. Forman R.T. ( 2000): "Estimate of the area affected ecologically by the road system in the United States". Cons. Biol. Vol 14: 31- 35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2000.99299.x
23. Forman R.T. , Alexander L.E. ( 1998): "Roads and their major ecological effects". Ann. Rev. of Ecol. and Syst. Vol 29: 207- 231. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.29.1.207
24. Forman R.T.T. , Sperling D. , Bissonette J.A. , Clevenger A. , Cutshall C. , Dale V. , Fahrig L. , France R. , Goldman C. , Heanue K. , Jones J. , Swanson F. , Turrentine T. , Winter T. ( 2003): Road Ecology: Science and Solutions. Island Press, Washington.
25. Garriga N. , Santos X. , Montori A. , Richter-Boix A. , Franch M. , Llorente G.A. ( 2012): "Are protected areas truly protected? The impact of road traffic on vertebrate fauna". Biodiv. Conserv. Vol 21: 2761- 2774. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10531-012-0332-0
26. Gibbs J.P. , Steen D.A. ( 2005): "Trends in sex ratios of turtles in the united states: implications of road mortality". Cons. Biol. Vol 19( 2): 552- 556. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00155.x
27. Glista D.J. , DeVault T.L. , Dewoody J.A. ( 2007): "Vertebrate road mortality predominantly impacts amphibians". Herpet. Cons. Biol. Vol 3: 77- 87.
28. Gomes L. , Grilo C. , Silva C. , Mira A. ( 2008): "Identification methods and deterministic factors of owl roadkill hotspot locations in Mediterranean landscapes". Ecol. Res. Vol 24: 355- 370. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11284-008-0515-z
29. González-Prieto S. , Villarino A. , Freán M.M. ( 1993): "Mortalidad de vertebrados por atropello en una Ccarretera Nacional del NO de España". Ecología Vol 7: 375- 389.
30. Grilo C. , Ascensão F. , Santos-Reis M. , Bissonette J.A. ( 2011): "Do well-connected landscapes promote road-related mortality?" Eur. J. Wildl. Res. Vol 57: 707- 771. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10344-010-0478-6
31. Gryz J. , Krauze D. ( 2008): "Mortality of vertebrates on a road crossing the Biebrza Valley (NE Poland)". Eur. J. Wildl. Res. Vol 54: 709- 714. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10344-008-0200-0
32. Gunther K.A. , Biel M.J. , Robison H.L. ( 1998): "Factors influencing the frequency of road-killed wildlife in Yellowstone National Park". ICOWET Vol 9: 32- 42.
33. Hartel T. , Moga C.I. , Öllerer K. , Puky M. ( 2009): "Spatial and temporal distribution of amphibian road mortality with a Rana dalmatinaand Bufo bufopredominance along the middle section of the Târnava Mare basin, Romania". North-West J. Zool. Vol 5: 130- 141.
34. Haskell D.G. ( 2000): "Effects of forest roads on macroinvertebrate soil fauna of the southern Appalachian Mountains". Cons. Biol. Vol 14: 57- 63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2000.99232.x
35. Hels T. , Buchwald E. ( 2001): "The effect of roadkills on amphibian populations". Biol. Cons. Vol 99: 331- 340. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(00)00215-9
36. Herrmann H. , Babbitt K. , Baber M. , Congalton R. ( 2005): "Effects of landscape characteristics on amphibian distribution in a forest-dominated landscape". Biol. Cons. Vol 123( 2): 139- 149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2004.05.025
37. Husté A. , Clobert J. , Miaud C. ( 2006): "The movements and breeding site fidelity of the natterjack toad ( Bufo calamita) in an urban park near Paris (France) with management recommendations". Amphibia-Reptilia Vol 27: 561- 568. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156853806778877130
38. INE, I.P.( 2009): Estatísticas dos Transportes 2009 – Instituto Nacional de Estatística (I.N.E). Lisboa. 200 pp.
39. Jaeger J.G. , Bowman J. , Brennan J. , Fahrig L. , Bert D. , Bouchard J. , Charbonneau N. ( 2005): "Predicting when animal populations are at risk from roads: an interactive model of road avoidance behavior". Ecol. Mod. Vol 185: 329- 348. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2004.12.015
40. Jochimsen D.M. , Peterson C.R. , Andrews K.M. , Gibbons J.W. ( 2004): A literature review of the effects of roads on amphibians and reptiles and the measures used to minimize those effects. Ecol. Pocat., Idaho. 78 pp.
41. Kline N.C. , Swann D.E. ( 1998): "Quantifying wildlife road mortality in Saguaro National Park". ICOWET Vol 9: 23- 31.
42. Langen T. ( 2009): "Predictive models of herpetofauna road mortality hotspots in extensive road networks: three approaches and a general procedure for creating hotspot models that are useful for environmental managers". ICOWET Vol 9: 475- 486.
43. Langen T.A. , Machniak A. , Crowe E.K. , Mangan C. , Marker D.F. , Liddle N. , Roden B. ( 2007): "Methodologies for surveying herpetofauna mortality on rural highways". J. Wildl. Manag. Vol 71: 1361- 1368. http://dx.doi.org/10.2193/2006-385
44. Langen T.A. , Ogden K.M. , Schwarting L.L. ( 2009): "Predicting hotspots of herpetofauna road mortality along highway networks". Journal of Wildlife Management Vol 73: 104- 114. http://dx.doi.org/10.2193/2008-017
45. Levine N. ( 2004): CrimeStat III: a spatial statistics program for the analysis of crime incident locations (v. 3.0). Ned Levine and Associates: Houston. TX/National Institute of Justice, Washington, DC.
46. Llorente G.A. , Garriga N. , Montori A. , Richter-Boix A. , Santos X. ( 2005): Incidència de les carreteres sobre els amfibis i els rèptils de Catalunya – Memória final. 175 pp.
47. Loureiro A. , Ferrand N. , Carretero M.A. , Paulo O. ( 2010): Atlas dos Anfíbios e Répteis de Portugal. Esfera do Caos, Lisboa. 256 pp.
48. Madsen A.B. , Strandgaard H. , Prang A. ( 2002): "Factors causing traffic killings of roe deer Capreolus capreolusin Denmark". Wildl. Biol. Vol 8: 55- 61.
49. Malo J.E. , Suárez F. , Díez A. ( 2004): "Can we mitigate animal-vehicle accidents using predictive models?" J. Appl. Ecol. Vol 41: 701- 710. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0021-8901.2004.00929.x
50. Marsh D.M. , Milam G.S. , Gorham N.P. , Beckman N.G. ( 2005): "Forest roads as partial barriers to terrestrial salamander movement". Cons. Biol. Vol 19: 2004- 2008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00238.x
51. Mazerolle M.J. ( 2004): "Amphibian road mortality in response to nightly variations in traffic intensity". Herpetologica Vol 60: 45- 53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1655/02-109
52. Mazerolle M.J. , Huot M. , Grave M. ( 2005): "Behavior of amphibians on the road in response to car traffic". Herpetologica Vol 61: 380- 388. http://dx.doi.org/10.1655/04-79.1
53. Nielsen S. ( 2004): "Modelling the spatial distribution of human-caused grizzly bear mortalities in the Central Rockies ecosystem of Canada". Biol. Cons. Vol 120: 101- 113. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2004.02.020
54. Orłowski G. ( 2007): "Spatial distribution and seasonal pattern in road mortality of the common toad Bufo bufoin an agricultural landscape of south-western Poland". Amphibia-Reptilia Vol 28: 25- 31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156853807779799045
55. Orłowski G. , Ciesiołkiewicz J. , Kaczor M. , Radwańska J. , Żywicka A. ( 2009): "Species composition and habitat correlates of amphibian roadkills in different landscapes of south-western Poland". Pol. J. Ecol. Vol 56: 659- 671.
56. Petronilho J.M.S. , Dias C.M.M. ( 2005): "Impact of two forest roads upon wildlife after a road pavement change in a coastal area in the center of Portugal". Wildl. Biol. Prat. Vol 1: 128- 139.
57. PMVC( 2003): Mortalidad de vertebrados en carreteras. Proyecto provisional de seguimiento de la mortalidad de vertebrados en carreteras (PMVC). Documentos Técnicos de Conservación: 4. SCV, Madrid.
58. Ramp D. ( 2004): Sharing the environment: counting the cost of wildlife mortality on roads. National Wildlife Carers Conference: 1-10.
59. Ramp D. , Caldwell J. , Edwards K. , Warton D. , Croft D. ( 2005): "Modelling of wildlife fatality hotspots along the Snowy Mountain Highway in New South Wales. Australia". Biol. Cons. Vol 26: 474- 490. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2005.07.001
60. Ray N. , Lehmann A. , Joly P. ( 2002): "Modeling spatial distribution of amphibian populations: a GIS approach based on habitat matrix permeability". Biodiv. Cons. Vol 11: 2143- 2165. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1021390527698
61. Ribeiro R. , Torres J. , Carretero M.A. , Sillero N. , Llorente G.A. ( 2008): "New observations of the Iberian Worm Lizard ( Blanus cinereus) and the Bedriaga’s Skink ( Chalcides bedriagai) bring reliability to the historical records from Porto region (NW Portugal)". Bol. de la Asoc. Herpet. Esp. Vol 19: 49- 50.
62. Ribeiro R. , Torres J. , Gomes V. , Carretero M.A. , Sillero N. , Llorente G.A. ( 2010): "Unsuspected richness near home. New herpetological records in Porto Metropolitan Area (NW Portugal)". Bol. de la Asoc. Herpet. Esp. Vol 21: 27- 30.
63. Santos C. ( 2002): Mortalidade de vertebrados em estradas do Parque Natural do Douro Internacional. In: Master Universitario Internacional en Gestión y Conservación de la Fauna Salvaje Euromediterránea – Estudios y Proyectos. 14 pp.
64. Santos X. , Llorente G.A. , Montori A. , Carretero M.A. , Franch M. , Garriga N. , Boix A.R. ( 2007): "Evaluating factors affecting amphibian mortality on roads: the case of the Common Toad Bufo bufo, near a breeding place". Anim. Biodiv. Cons. Vol 1: 97- 104.
65. Sillero N. ( 2008): "Amphibian mortality levels on Spanish country roads: descriptive and spatial analysis". Amphibia-Reptilia Vol 29: 337- 347. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156853808785112066
66. Spellerberg I.F. ( 1998): "Ecological effects of roads and traffic: a literature review". Glob. Ecol. Biog. Lett. Vol 7: 317- 333.
67. StatSoft( 2010): STATISTICA for Windows. Computer Program Manual. StatSoft Inc., Tulsa, OK.
http://brill.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1163/15685381-00002850
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1163/15685381-00002850
2012-01-03
2017-08-22
rss email facebook twitter
share this

Sign-in

Can't access your account?

Register

Register now to access more content

  • Tools

  • Add to Favorites
  • Printable version
  • Email this page
  • Subscribe to ToC alert
  • Get permissions
  • Recommend to your library

    You must fill out fields marked with: *

    Librarian details
    Your details
    Why are you recommending this title?
    Select reason:
     
    Amphibia-Reptilia — Recommend this title to your library
  • Export citations

  • Key

  • Full access
  • Open Access
  • Partial/No accessInformation
arrow back to top arrow