1
|
Kouris AD, Christopoulos A, Vlachopoulos K, Christopoulou A, Dimitrakopoulos PG, Zevgolis YG. Spatiotemporal Patterns of Reptile and Amphibian Road Fatalities in a Natura 2000 Area: A 12-Year Monitoring of the Lake Karla Mediterranean Wetland. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:708. [PMID: 38473093 DOI: 10.3390/ani14050708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The pervasive expansion of human-engineered infrastructure, particularly roads, has fundamentally reshaped landscapes, profoundly affecting wildlife interactions. Wildlife-vehicle collisions, a common consequence of this intricate interplay, frequently result in fatalities, extending their detrimental impact within Protected Areas (PAs). Among the faunal groups most susceptible to road mortality, reptiles and amphibians stand at the forefront, highlighting the urgent need for global comprehensive mitigation strategies. In Greece, where road infrastructure expansion has encroached upon a significant portion of the nation's PAs, the plight of these road-vulnerable species demands immediate attention. To address this critical issue, we present a multifaceted and holistic approach to investigating and assessing the complex phenomenon of herpetofauna road mortality within the unique ecological context of the Lake Karla plain, a rehabilitated wetland complex within a PA. To unravel the intricacies of herpetofauna road mortality in the Lake Karla plain, we conducted a comprehensive 12-year investigation from 2008 to 2019. Employing a combination of statistical modeling and spatial analysis techniques, we aimed to identify the species most susceptible to these encounters, their temporal and seasonal variations, and the ecological determinants of their roadkill patterns. We documented a total of 340 roadkill incidents involving 14 herpetofauna species in the Lake Karla's plain, with reptiles, particularly snakes, being more susceptible, accounting for over 60% of roadkill occurrences. Moreover, we found that environmental and road-related factors play a crucial role in influencing roadkill incidents, while spatial analysis techniques, including Kernel Density Estimation, the Getis-Ord Gi*, and the Kernel Density Estimation plus methods revealed critical areas, particularly in the south-eastern region of Lake Karla's plain, offering guidance for targeted interventions to address both individual and collective risks associated with roadkill incidents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandros D Kouris
- Biodiversity Conservation Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81132 Mytilene, Greece
| | - Apostolos Christopoulos
- Department of Zoology and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Vlachopoulos
- Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, 38446 Volos, Greece
| | | | - Panayiotis G Dimitrakopoulos
- Biodiversity Conservation Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81132 Mytilene, Greece
| | - Yiannis G Zevgolis
- Biodiversity Conservation Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81132 Mytilene, Greece
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Balčiauskas L, Kučas A, Balčiauskienė L. Mammal Roadkills in Lithuanian Urban Areas: A 15-Year Study. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3272. [PMID: 37893996 PMCID: PMC10603749 DOI: 10.3390/ani13203272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated roadkills in urban areas in Lithuania from 2007 to 2022, including two periods with COVID-19 restrictions on people's movement. We analyzed the proportions of wild and domestic animals in roadkill, annual trends, the predominant species involved, and monthly changes during the restrictions. Urban roads were characterized by a low species diversity of roadkilled mammals, with roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) dominating. Total numbers increased exponentially during the study period. The proportion of domestic animals, 12.2%, significantly exceeded that on non-urban roads in the country. The proportion of domestic animals decreased from over 40% in 2007-2009 to 3.7-5.4% in 2020-2022, while the proportion of wild mammals increased from 36.1-39.6% to 89.9-90.6%, respectively. During the periods of COVID-19 restrictions, the number of roadkills in urban areas was significantly higher than expected based on long-term trends. Compared to 2019, the number of roadkilled roe deer in 2020-2021 almost doubled from 700 to 1281-1325 individuals. These anthropause effects were, however, temporary. The imbalance between the roadkill number and transport intensity might require new mitigation strategies to sustain mammal populations in urban areas, at least through improving driver awareness on the issue.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Linas Balčiauskas
- Laboratory of Mammalian Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania;
| | - Andrius Kučas
- Territorial Development Unit (B3), European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Via Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra, Italy;
| | - Laima Balčiauskienė
- Laboratory of Mammalian Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania;
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Molbert N, Ghanavi HR, Johansson T, Mostadius M, Hansson MC. An evaluation of DNA extraction methods on historical and roadkill mammalian specimen. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13080. [PMID: 37567875 PMCID: PMC10421861 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39465-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Guidelines identifying appropriate DNA extraction methods for both museum and modern biological samples are scarce or non-existent for mammalian species. Yet, obtaining large-scale genetic material collections are vital for conservation and management purposes. In this study, we evaluated five protocols making use of either spin-column, organic solvents, or magnetic bead-based methods for DNA extraction on skin samples from both modern, traffic-killed (n = 10) and museum (n = 10) samples of European hedgehogs, Ericaneus europaeus. We showed that phenol-chloroform or silica column (NucleoSpin Tissue) protocols yielded the highest amount of DNA with satisfactory purity compared with magnetic bead-based protocols, especially for museum samples. Furthermore, extractions using the silica column protocol appeared to produce longer DNA fragments on average than the other methods tested. Our investigation demonstrates that both commercial extraction kits and phenol-chloroform protocol retrieve acceptable DNA concentrations for downstream processes, from degraded remnants of traffic-killed and museum samples of mammalian specimens. Although all the tested methods could be applied depending on the research questions and laboratory conditions, commercial extraction kits may be preferred due to their effectiveness, safety and the higher quality of the DNA extractions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Noëlie Molbert
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Ecology Building, 223 62, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Hamid Reza Ghanavi
- Department of Biology, Functional Zoology Unit, Lund University, Ecology Building, 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Tomas Johansson
- Department of Biology, Microbial Ecology Group, Lund University, Ecology Building, 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Maria Mostadius
- The Biological Museum, Lund University, Arkivcentrum Syd, Porfyrvägen 20, 22478, Lund, Sweden
| | - Maria C Hansson
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Ecology Building, 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Medrano‐Vizcaíno P, Brito‐Zapata D, Rueda‐Vera A, Jarrín‐V P, García‐Carrasco J, Medina D, Aguilar J, Acosta‐Buenaño N, González‐Suárez M. First national assessment of wildlife mortality in Ecuador: An effort from citizens and academia to collect roadkill data at country scale. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9916. [PMID: 36993143 PMCID: PMC10040722 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecuador has both high richness and high endemism, which are increasingly threatened by anthropic pressures, including roads. Research evaluating the effects of roads remains scarce, making it difficult to develop mitigation plans. Here, we present the first national assessment of wildlife mortality on roads that allow us to (1) estimate roadkill rates per species, (2) identify affected species and areas, and (3) reveal knowledge gaps. We bring together data from systematic surveys and citizen science efforts to present a dataset with 5010 wildlife roadkill records from 392 species, and we also provide 333 standardized corrected roadkill rates calculated on 242 species. Systematic surveys were reported by ten studies from five Ecuadorian provinces, revealing 242 species with corrected roadkill rates ranging from 0.03 to 171.72 ind./km/year. The highest rates were for the yellow warbler Setophaga petechia in Galapagos (171.72 ind./km/year), the cane toad Rhinella marina in Manabi (110.70 ind./km/year), and the Galapagos lava lizard Microlophus albemarlensis (47.17 ind./km/year). Citizen science and other nonsystematic monitoring provided 1705 roadkill records representing all 24 provinces in Ecuador and 262 identified species. The common opossum Didelphis marsupialis, the Andean white-eared opossum Didelphis pernigra, and the yellow warbler Setophaga petechia were more commonly reported (250, 104, and 81 individuals, respectively). Across all sources, we found 15 species listed as "Threatened" and six as "Data Deficient" by the IUCN. We recommend stronger research efforts in areas where the mortality of endemic or threatened species could be critical for populations, such as in Galapagos. This first country-wide assessment of wildlife mortality on Ecuadorian roads represents contributions from academia, members of the public, and government, underlining the value of wider engagement and collaboration. We hope these findings and the compiled dataset will guide sensible driving and sustainable planning of infrastructure in Ecuador and, ultimately, contribute to reduce wildlife mortality on roads.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Medrano‐Vizcaíno
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological SciencesUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
- Red Ecuatoriana Para el Monitoreo de Fauna Atropellada‐REMFAQuitoEcuador
| | - David Brito‐Zapata
- Red Ecuatoriana Para el Monitoreo de Fauna Atropellada‐REMFAQuitoEcuador
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Instituto iBIOTROP, Museo de Zoología & Laboratorio de Zoología TerrestreQuitoEcuador
| | - Adriana Rueda‐Vera
- Red Ecuatoriana Para el Monitoreo de Fauna Atropellada‐REMFAQuitoEcuador
- Instituto de Investigación en Biomedicina de la Universidad Central del EcuadorQuitoEcuador
| | - Pablo Jarrín‐V
- Dirección de InnovaciónInstituto Nacional de BiodiversidadQuitoEcuador
| | | | - Diana Medina
- Parque Nacional Cayambe Coca Zona baja‐Ministerio del Ambiente, Agua, y Transición Ecológica del EcuadorEl ChacoEcuador
| | - Juan Aguilar
- Escuela de BiologíaUniversidad del AzuayCuencaEcuador
| | | | - Manuela González‐Suárez
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological SciencesUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hadad E, Kosicki JZ, Yosef R. Mortality of an apex predator, the Eagle Owl Bubo bubo, in Israel 2007-2021. J Nat Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
|
6
|
Species profiles support recommendations for quality filtering of opportunistic citizen science data. Ecol Modell 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.109910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
7
|
Santos S, Grilo C, Shilling F, Bhardwaj M, Papp CR. Ecological Solutions for Linear Infrastructure Networks: The key to green infrastructure development. NATURE CONSERVATION 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/natureconservation.47.81795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
|