Hot moments and hot spots: Identifying factors explaining temporal and spatial variation in turtle road mortality

Cureton, James C.; Deaton, Raelynn

doi:10.1002/jwmg.320

Cited by 35 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The importance of vehicles as a mortality source across a range of terrestrial taxa is shown in Table 8.1. In some cases, vehicle mortality is so high that it represents the greatest limitation to population growth, and may exceed reproduction, such as for black bears (Beckmann and Lackey 2008) and some reptiles (Cureton and Deaton 2012). Some turtle species are highly susceptible to road mortality because they are not able to adjust or avoid road traffic, and their relatively low fecundity does not allow for replacement of individuals killed by cars.…”

Section: Roadsmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Wildlife Population Dynamics in Urban Landscapes

Rodewald

Gehrt

2014

Urban Wildlife

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To say that urban wildlife populations differ from those in other landscapes is, in some ways, to state the obvious, as many studies have well demonstrated how urbanization influences pattern of occurrence and relative abundance of wildlife (e.g., Blair 1996;Marzluff et al. 2001;Sinclair et al. 2005;Chace and Walsh 2006). Identifying the specific ways in which urban and nonurban wildlife populations differ and the drivers of those differences is less understood and requires a more careful examination. The response of a species to urbanization may be the consequence of life history, and behavioral and physiological attributes that promote avoidance, tolerance, or preference for urban systems. For example, urban avoiders, or species that respond negatively to development, tend to be habitat specialists, migratory, and/or sensitive to a wide range of human activities and disturbance (Croci et al. 2008). Species that respond positively to urban development (e.g., synanthropic species, urban exploiters) are often generalists, omnivorous, multi-brooded, and behaviorally flexible. Because these suites of species differ widely in population ecology even in the absence of urbanization, we forgo a direct comparison of these groups of species and, rather, examine how urbanization affects population structure and demography of species occupying both urban and nonurban landscapes (i.e., urban adapters).As we synthesize the literature, we recognize the inherent difficulty of clearly defining a "population." What distinguishes a subpopulation from a population? For some species, this may be quite clear because of limited vagility and strong segregation among habitat types; for others, it may be unclear, particularly those with more generalist habitat requirements and extensive mobility across urban

show abstract

Section: Roadsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Some turtle species are highly susceptible to road mortality because they are not able to adjust or avoid road traffic, and their relatively low fecundity does not allow for replacement of individuals killed by cars. Turtle populations affected by road mortality are those that are male biased and occur at low densities (Cureton and Deaton 2012).…”

Section: Roadsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildlife Population Dynamics in Urban Landscapes

Rodewald

Gehrt

2014

Urban Wildlife

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Finally, the development and use of models continues to gain popularity with a further nine studies presenting models that could be used to estimate road-related mortality [134,135] and identify potential mortality hotspots based on surrounding habitat and landscape features [40,[136][137][138][139]. For example, one model was constructed specifically to identify ideal locations for crossing structures for the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) using GPS collar data and wildlife-vehicle collision reports [140].…”

Section: Survey Design and Mitigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Road Density and Pattern on the Conservation of Species and Biodiversity

Bennett

2017

Curr Landscape Ecol Rep

137

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The development and presence of roads can reduce landscape permeability, lead to habitat loss, and increase habitat fragmentation. It is these fundamental changes in landscape structure that can have both direct and indirect impacts on the conservation of species and biodiversity. In this review, I examine 215 research studies conducted between 2011 and 2015 that explore the impacts of roads and road networks on a wide range of species. I divided these studies into four main categories: 1) the direct effects of roads on wildlife, 2) the indirect effects of roads on wildlife, 3) the consequences of road networks on wildlife populations, and 4) survey design and mitigation including both innovations and evaluations. I found that the majority of studies (38%) explored the indirect effects of roads on wildlife, including displacement, fitness consequences, and road crossing ability of wildlife. Nevertheless, despite there being a pressing need to understand how existing road networks impact wildlife and how increasing road density may influence local and regional population persistence, only 10% of the studies considered the implications of road networks on wildlife. However, there is an increasing trend towards the development of predictive models that can be used for a better understanding of road network impacts, assess landscape connectivity, and devise mitigation. This review also highlighted the continued need to devise and evaluate mitigation measures so transportation authorities and conservation practitioners may be better equipped to address the ecological implications of roads and proposed road development.

show abstract

“…Previous studies have demonstrated condensed patterns of road mortality at relatively broad spatial and temporal scales and have advocated that such broad hot spots or hot moments could improve management for road mortality (Grilo, Bissonette & Santos‐Reis ; Beaudry, Demaynadier & Hunter ; Cureton & Deaton ). Our results demonstrate that even finer‐scale hot spots and hot moments can be identified and related, strongly or weakly, to specific habitat features or temporal processes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hot spots and hot moments of diamondback terrapin road‐crossing activity

Crawford

Maerz

Nibbelink

et al. 2014

Journal of Applied Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary1. Road mortality is a major component of human impacts on wildlife populations, and the pervasiveness of roads on the landscape presents a substantial challenge for managing those impacts. The feasibility of methods to reduce road mortality depends on the degree to which this threat is spatially or temporally concentrated, which can be based on habitat, human activities or species' ecology. Diamondback terrapins Malaclemys terrapin are a species of conservation concern across their range, and road mortality is a major threat contributing to local population declines. 2. We used intensive road surveys of the 8Á7-km Downing-Musgrove Causeway to Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA, over 2 years to determine whether road activity and mortality was diffused or concentrated spatially (hot spots) or temporally (hot moments) in order to guide efficient management. 3. In 2009 and 2010, we documented 636 terrapin crossings that were temporally and spatially condensed. Temporally, there was a 70-80% chance of a terrapin occurring on the road within a 3-h period around the diurnal high tide and within the first 30 days of the~75 day nesting season. Over the two nesting seasons, 52% of terrapin occurrences on the road occurred within the 3-h period around high tide. Spatially, 30% of terrapins were observed crossing in three hot spots that composed less than 10% of the length of the entire causeway, and the percentage of unvegetated high marsh was negatively associated with the number of terrapins that occurred on a section of road. 4. Synthesis and applications. Our results demonstrate that hot spots and hot moments can be identified for species at finer scales than those found by other studies and are related, strongly or weakly, to specific temporal processes or habitat features. We found patterns of road mortality, like most threats, can be diffused or concentrated; therefore, complementary management tools that focus on hot spots or moments and also address the more diffused component of road mortality will be required to reduce this threat for at-risk wildlife.

show abstract

Hot moments and hot spots: Identifying factors explaining temporal and spatial variation in turtle road mortality

Cited by 35 publications

References 20 publications

Wildlife Population Dynamics in Urban Landscapes

Wildlife Population Dynamics in Urban Landscapes

Effects of Road Density and Pattern on the Conservation of Species and Biodiversity

Hot spots and hot moments of diamondback terrapin road‐crossing activity

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About