Road Kills of Bufotes viridis (Laurenti, 1768): A Case Study from Konya Province of Turkey

Abstract

The present study reports vehicle collisions of Bufotes viridis (The green toad) in Konya province from Turkey. Our study was performed in more than fifty localities on Yunak-Akşehir highway (D-695). The records were taken in a short time; it is important and remarkable to come across a large number of dead individuals of an amphibian species in a short time. Among all recorded mortalities (n= 246), the highest value belonged to subadults (45% of the cases), followed by juveniles (35% of the cases). The lowest rate among the carcasses was belonged to the adult individuals (20% of the cases). There can be many factors that cause the road kills: These factors are grouped according to the literature under the headings of “direct causes”, “indirect causes” and “potential causes” for the road kills. In this study, we evaluated the effects of some factors for Bufotes viridis. In general, all terrestrial and semi-aquatic amphibian species, which populations are located the roadsides, suffer from road kills. Because of this situation, there is a need for both further studies and habitat restorations for amphibians.

Spatiotemporal Patterns of Reptile and Amphibian Road Fatalities in a Natura 2000 Area: A 12-Year Monitoring of the Lake Karla Mediterranean Wetland

“…This unexpected trend can be partially explained by the species’ behavioral attributes, such as their tendency to move with a wider distribution of angles when crossing a road [ 101 ], and/or topographical characteristics of roadways intersecting their habitats, especially elevated positions.. For amphibian species such as the green toad, which constitutes the most frequently road-killed amphibian ( Table 1 ) and is abundant in the eastern part of the study area along the Mavrovouni foothills, the need to traverse an elevated road introduces complexity to its migratory pathways ( Figure 1 ). During the breeding season, when these amphibians transition from their habitats to freshwater bodies to meet their basic life history requirements [ 107 , 108 ], the somewhat elevated roadways in the area present potential barriers, influencing migration patterns and possibly diverting them toward alternative routes to access wetlands, thereby reducing the incidence of road-related mortality.…”