Changes in habitat structure constitute a major factor explaining responses of reptiles to fire. However, few studies have examined habitat factors that covary with fire-history variables to explain reptile responses. We hypothesise that more complex habitats should support richer reptile communities, and that species-specific relative abundance should be related to particular habitat features. From spring 2012-2014, twenty-five transects were surveyed in the Albera Region (north-east Iberia). The vegetation structure was measured and the extent of habitat types in a 1000-m buffer around each transect calculated. Reptile-community metrics (species richness and reptile abundance) were related to fire history, vegetation structure, and habitat types, using generalized additive models. These metrics correlated with habitat-structure variables but not with fire history. The number of species increased with more complex habitats but decreased with pine-plantation abundance in the 1000-m buffer. We found contrasting responses among reptiles in terms of time since fire and those responses differed according to vegetation variables and habitat types. An unplanned fire in August 2012 provided the opportunity to compare reptile abundance values between pre-fire and the short term (1-2 years) after the fire. Most species exhibited a negative short-term response to the 2012 fire except Tarentola mauritanica, a gecko that inhabits large rocks, as opposed to other ground-dwelling species. In the reptiles studied, contrasting responses to time since fire are consistent with the habitat-accommodation model of succession. These differences are linked to specific microhabitat preferences and suggest that functional traits can be used to predict species-specific responses to fire.

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 buforepresented 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.

Amphibian populations are highly vulnerable to road mortality and habitat fragmentation caused by road networks. Wildlife road tunnels are considered the most promising road mitigation measure for amphibians yet generally remain inadequately monitored, resulting in mixed success rates in the short-term and uncertain conservation benefits in the long-term. We monitored a complex multi-tunnel and fence system over five years and investigated the impact of the scheme on movement patterns of two newt species, including the largest known UK population of the great crested newt (Triturus cristatus), a European Protected Species. We used a stage descriptive approach based on capture positions to quantify newt movement patterns. Newt species successfully used the mitigation but the system constituted a bottleneck to movements from the fences to the tunnels. Crossing rates varied widely among years and were skewed towards autumn dispersal rather than spring breeding migration. There was a substantial negative bias against adult male great crested newts using the system. This study indicates that road tunnels could partially mitigate wider connectivity loss and fragmentation at the landscape scale for newt species. However, the observed bottleneck effects and seasonal bias could have population-level effects which must be better understood, especially for small populations, so that improvements can be made. Current requirements for monitoring mitigation schemes post-implementation are probably too short to assess their effectiveness in maintaining connectivity and to adequately understand their population-level impacts.

The Open University's repository of research publications and other research outputs Short-term movements and behaviour govern the use of road mitigation measures by a protected amphibian

Habitat fragmentation affects amphibian populations worldwide. Urban expansion and associated infrastructure (e.g., roads) are the main cause of degradation and loss of landscapescale habitat connectivity. Mitigation measures such as barriers and underpasses the construction of corridors are frequently implemented to reduce the impacts of development on protected species. However, despite the obvious potential for consequences for outcomes at multiple scales, such efforts generally focus on local outcomes rather than envisioning how the mitigation may contribute to habitat connectivity and populations persistence at a landscape scale. We used a graph-theoretical approach to model structural and functional connectivity ©2019, Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ (corridors) for a widespread but declining endangered pond-breeding amphibian, the great crested newt (Triturus cristatus), by assessing movement among breeding ponds associated with at different processes scales (dispersal, migration and colonization) in. The newts occupied a landscape with different levels of urban and rural development and linear barriers (e.g., roads of different sizes and railwaywith different permeabilities to amphibian movements). This analysis provides critical information to understand the potential capacity for larger scale impacts of mitigation measures (e.g. corridors). We used recent regional pond survey data from great crested newts combined with published data on movement and habitat use to to develop a framework to explore calculate connectivity at the landscape scale-level using estimated annual home-range patches around breeding ponds as terrestrial and wetland habitat units. We identified calculated potential areas of area for terrestrial movement corridors and assessed how landscape connectivity was investigated linkages between patches (potential movement corridors), and then analysed how these linkages were affected by landscape characteristics, such as habitat quality and quantity, and scale of movement and varied between two scenarios representing different degrees of road permeability. The different permeability of linear features (e.g., roads) that cross dispersal corridors influence the effectiveness of the corridor by affecting newt movement. Our results indicate that assessing linear barriers to movement and accounting for differences in their permeabilities is critical to understanding their impact on both shorter term migratory and longer-term dispersal aspect of planning corridors for successful movements in great crested newts. Animal movement is important at various scales, to the individual, the population, and the persistence of species across a landscape. The application of corridors as a mitigation for roads is a workable conservation action but is markedly improved by i Incorporating landscape-scale connectivity modelling which includes to identify the impact of barriers such as roads would substantially...