How Landscape Patterns Influence Road-Kill of Three Species of Mammals in the Brazilian Savanna

Freitas, Sérgio de; Oliveira, Adriana Nepomuceno de; Ciocheti, Giordano; Vieira, Marcus Vinícius; Matos, Dalva Maria da Silva

doi:10.4257/oeco.2014.1801.02

Cited by 58 publications

(69 citation statements)

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“…In the study area, these corridors are the only structural and possibly also functional connectivity remaining. Freitas et al (2015), Bueno et al (2013) and Bueno et al (2015) found that proximity to rivers best explained most of the roadkill occurrence, suggesting that these areas are a mitigation priority. Cáceres et al (2012) also pointed out the importance of riparian forests for species crossing, which can result in a higher incidence of roadkills when these forest fragments are bisected by roads.…”

Section: Roadkill Hotspotsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Short and Narrow Roads Cause Substantial Impacts on Wildlife

et al. 2019

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Short and narrow roads are generally overlooked when assessing road impacts on biodiversity. However, these roads bisect natural environments and may cause significant impacts on wildlife in local scale. Thus, we monitored roadkills along a short two-lane road (CPM road) in Southeastern Brazil and propose mitigation strategies to reduce wildlife mortality. We monitored roadkilled vertebrates along 5 km of CPM road from 2010 to 2016 and we also compiled data from previous studies along the same road. We conducted a hotspot analysis to identify CPM road areas with significant roadkill aggregation. We recorded 77 roadkilled vertebrates from 14 taxonomic groups along the CPM road. Mammals were the most frequently recorded group (91% of roadkills), which represented 56% of all medium-and large-sized mammal species known to occur in the study area. We identified three roadkill hotspots along the CPM road. Two of them were located at two stream crossings, where the road cut across the associated riparian forests, and the other was at a road section with water drainage from a pond, also connected to a riparian forest. These riparian forests are part of the remaining natural habitat that provides connectivity between the forest remnants in the landscape, and therefore, for wildlife. Our results showed that even short and narrow roads can have considerable roadkill, which may have severe effects for wildlife on a local scale. The results stress the need to carefully look at these types of roads and propose measures to reduce impacts. We propose the creation of safe crossing opportunities in the hotspot zones combined with wildlife fencing to keep the animals off the road and guide them towards the safe crossing opportunities.

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Section: Roadkill Hotspotsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Short and Narrow Roads Cause Substantial Impacts on Wildlife

et al. 2019

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“…They are frequently seen on roadsides searching for food, which may include other road-killed animals, meaning that, as a carnivorous species, C. thous has a high road-kill rate (23) . T. gondii DNA was detected in samples from 1 C. thous and 1 P. cancrivorus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis spp. in road-killed wild mammals from the Central Western Region of the State of São Paulo, Brazil

Richini-Pereira

Marson

Silva

et al. 2016

Rev. Soc. Bras. Med. Trop.

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Introduction: Road-killed wild animals host zoonotic pathogens such as Toxoplasma gondii, offering a new opportunity for the epidemiological study of these infectious organisms. Methods: This investigation aimed to determine the presence of T. gondii and other apicomplexan parasites in tissue samples of 64 road-killed wild animals, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Positive samples were then typed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) using 7 markers: SAG1, 5′-3′SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, c29-6, PK1, and Apico. PCR-RFLP targeting 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes was also performed on all samples to detect other apicomplexan parasites. Results: T. gondii DNA was detected in 16 tissue samples from 8 individual animals, as follows: 1 Cerdocyon thous (crab-eating fox), 1 Didelphis albiventris (white-eared opossum), 1 Lutreolina crassicaudata (lutrine opossum), 2 Myrmecophaga tridactyla (giant anteater), 1 Procyon cancrivorus (crab-eating raccoon), and 2 Sphiggurus spinosus (Paraguay hairy dwarf porcupine). Seven different T. gondii genotypes were identified, 6 of which were novel. Typing by 18S rRNA verified these 16 T. gondii-infected samples, and identified 1 Sarcocystis spp.-infected animal [Dasypus novemcinctus (nine-banded armadillo)]. The amplified T. gondii (GenBank accession No. L37415.1) and Sarcocystis spp. 18S rRNA products were confirmed by sequencing. Conclusions: Our results indicate that T. gondii is commonly present in wild mammals, which act as sources of infection for humans and animals, including other wild species. The approach employed herein proved useful for detecting T. gondii and Sarcocystis spp. in the environment and identifying their natural reservoirs, contributing to our understanding of host-parasite interactions.

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“…The three members of Canidae family (C. brachyurus, C. thous and L. vetulus) recorded in the present study are omnivorous and opportunistic, and even feed on carcasses (Pedó et al 2006). Thus, these animals are sometimes attracted to roads due to the availability of food, such as carcasses of run over animals, which increases their chances of being killed (Bueno & Almeida 2010, Freitas et al 2015. Besides this, these species have crepuscular and nocturnal habits (Jácomo et al 2004, Dalponte 2009, Tortato & Althoff 2009, Paula et al 2013) and can easily adapt to human-altered environments (Trovatti et al 2007, Lyra-Jorge et al 2008, Bocchiglieri et al 2010, Paula et al 2013, which increases their chances of crossing roads at night and, consequently, of being run over.…”

Section: Coendou Prehensilismentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Human Demographic or Biological Factors Influence Mammal Roadkill? A Case Study in the Go-060 Highway

2019

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Roads cause several environmental impacts, such as roadkill of wild animals, which may result in the decrease of local fauna density. Roadkill occurs because roads intersect the habitats of many taxa, especially in fragmented landscapes, such as the Cerrado biome. The present study aimed to determine whether demographic variables or biological characteristics influence the mammal's roadkill rate. A survey was conducted in the section of the GO-060 highway located between the municipalities of Trindade and Iporá, from April to September 2012, during the dry season. We used Kruskal-Wallis tests to investigate possible differences among roadkills per sector, species, order, food habit, and activity pattern. Pearson correlation was used to verify the association between roadkill rate and home range. The influence of body mass on the roadkill rate was estimated through a simple linear regression. To verify whether human demographic variables influence the roadkill, we used a multiple linear regression. We recorded 89 individuals of mammals during 18 field trips and obtained a roadkill rate of 0.025 individuals/km/day. Mammals with different food habits have different roadkill rates, once herbivorous mammals are less prone to be roadkilled than omnivorous and insectivorous species. Characteristics such as home range, body mass and activity patterns were not determinant of roadkill rates in this study. Similarly, human demographic variables did not influence the number of roadkills. Biological and ecological characteristics should be considered when implementing measures to reduce roadkill. Hence, it becomes clear that surveys of fauna roadkill should consider both human demographic and biological variables, once, in this research, none of them are relevant by itself, they can be considered complementary information, and can be used to support practical actions.

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How Landscape Patterns Influence Road-Kill of Three Species of Mammals in the Brazilian Savanna

Cited by 58 publications

References 0 publications

Short and Narrow Roads Cause Substantial Impacts on Wildlife

Short and Narrow Roads Cause Substantial Impacts on Wildlife

Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis spp. in road-killed wild mammals from the Central Western Region of the State of São Paulo, Brazil

Can Human Demographic or Biological Factors Influence Mammal Roadkill? A Case Study in the Go-060 Highway

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