Ability of Wildlife Overpasses to Provide Connectivity and Prevent Genetic Isolation

Corlatti, Luca; Hackländer, Klaus; Frey-Roos, Fredy

doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.01162.x

Cited by 177 publications

(122 citation statements)

References 78 publications

(82 reference statements)

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“…A similar investigation into whether the crossings of the bridge by possums result in reproduction on the other side and restore the gene flow is essential in order to assess the true conservation value of rope bridges (Corlatti et al 2009). We also need to assess whether the rope bridge provides a safe passage for dispersing juveniles, therefore assisting the restoration of gene flow.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A remarkably quick habituation and high use of a rope bridge by an endangered marsupial, the western ringtail possum

Yokochi¹,

Bencini²

2015

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Rope bridges are being increasingly installed worldwide to mitigate the negative impacts of roads on arboreal animals. However, monitoring of these structures is still limited and an assessment of factors influencing the crossing behaviours is lacking. We monitored the use of a rope bridge near Busselton, Western Australia by the endangered western ringtail possums (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) in order to identify the patterns of use and factors influencing the crossings. We installed motion sensor cameras and microchip readers on the bridge to record the crossings made by individual animals, and analysed these crossing data using generalised linear models that included factors such as days since the installation of the bridge, breeding season, wind speed, minimum temperature and moonlight. Possums started investigating the bridge even before the installation was completed, and the first complete crossing was recorded only 36 days after the installation, which is remarkably sooner than arboreal species studied in other parts of Australia. The possums crossed the bridge increasingly over 270 days of monitoring at a much higher rate than we expected (8.87 ± 0.59 complete crossings per night). Possums crossed the bridge less on windy nights and warm nights probably due to the risk of being blown away and heat stress on warmer days. Crossings also decreased slightly on brighter nights probably due to the higher risk of predation. Breeding season did not influence the crossings. Pseudocheirus occidentalis habituated to the bridge very quickly, and our results demonstrate that rope bridges have a potential as an effective mitigation measure against the negative impacts of roads on this species. More studies and longer monitoring, as well as investigating whether crossing results in the restoration of gene flow are then needed in order to further assess the true conservation value of these crossing structures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A remarkably quick habituation and high use of a rope bridge by an endangered marsupial, the western ringtail possum

Yokochi¹,

Bencini²

2015

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“…Wildlife crossings are one of the measures used to mitigate barrier effects and reduce wildlife road-kill, improving connectivity between habitats fragmented by roads (Beckmann et al, 2010;Corlatti et al, 2009;Lesbarrères and Fahrig, 2012). These crossings should not lead to ecological "dead-ends", but must link to a larger functional landscape and habitat complex that allows wildlife to disperse, move freely, and meet their daily and life needs now and in the future, including projected land-use changes (Beckmann et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat or matrix: which is more relevant to predict road-kill of vertebrates?

2015

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We believe that in tropics we need a community approach to evaluate road impacts on wildlife, and thus, suggest mitigation measures for groups of species instead a focal-species approach. Understanding which landscape characteristics indicate road-kill events may also provide models that can be applied in other regions. We intend to evaluate if habitat or matrix is more relevant to predict road-kill events for a group of species. Our hypothesis is: more permeable matrix is the most relevant factor to explain road-kill events. To test this hypothesis, we chose vertebrates as the studied assemblage and a highway crossing in an Atlantic Forest region in southeastern Brazil as the study site. Logistic regression models were designed using presence/absence of road-kill events as dependent variables and landscape characteristics as independent variables, which were selected by Akaike's Information Criterion. We considered a set of candidate models containing four types of simple regression models: Habitat effect model; Matrix types effect models; Highway effect model; and, Reference models (intercept and buffer distance). Almost three hundred road-kills and 70 species were recorded. River proximity and herbaceous vegetation cover, both matrix effect models, were associated to most road-killed vertebrate groups. Matrix was more relevant than habitat to predict road-kill of vertebrates. The association between river proximity and road-kill indicates that rivers may be a preferential route for most species. We discuss multi-species mitigation measures and implications to movement ecology and conservation strategies.Keywords: connectivity, conservation, landscape ecology, rivers, road ecology.Habitat ou matriz: qual é mais relevante para prever atropelamentos de vertebrados? ResumoNós acreditamos que nos trópicos, precisamos de uma abordagem de comunidade para avaliar os impactos das estradas sobre a vida silvestre, e então, sugerir medidas de mitigação para grupos de espécies ao invés da abordagem de espécie-foco. Compreender quais características da paisagem indicam eventos de atropelamento podem também fornecer modelos que podem ser aplicados em outras regiões. Nós pretendemos avaliar se habitat ou matriz é mais relevante para prever eventos de atropelamento para grupos de espécies. Nossa hipótese é: matriz mais permeável é o fator mais relevante para explicar os eventos de atropelamentos. Para testar essa hipótese, escolhemos vertebrados como a assembléia estudada e uma rodovia cruzando uma região de Mata Atlântica no sudeste do Brasil como área de estudo. Modelos de regressão logística foram criados usando presença/ausência de eventos de atropelamentos como variáveis dependentes e características da paisagem como variáveis independentes, os quais foram selecionados pelo Critério de Informação de Akaike. Nós consideramos um conjunto de modelos candidatos contendo quatro tipos de modelos de regressão simples: modelo de efeito de habitat; modelos de efeito de tipos de matriz; modelo de efeito da rodovia; e, mode...

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“…Thus, bridges should be flanked by pole barriers to ensure safe passage well above moving traffic (Zuberogoitia et al 2015). Finally, functional connectivity should be evaluated with molecular methods and BACI designs implemented to know the effectiveness of mitigation measures (Balkenhol and Waits 2009;Corlatti et al 2009;Clevenger and Sawaya 2010;Simmons et al 2010;Soanes et al 2013). …”

Section: Wildlife Passes Combined With Funnelling Fencingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Railways as Barriers for Wildlife: Current Knowledge

Barrientos

Borda‐de‐Água

2017

Railway Ecology

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In this chapter we provide practical suggestions, together with examples, to identify, monitor and mitigate railway barrier effects on wildlife, as this is considered one of the railways' greatest impacts. Railways can be both physical and behavioral barriers to wildlife movement, as well as disturbance to populations living close to them. Also, mortality is recognized as an important contribution to the barrier effect. However, the consequences of habitat loss, and fragmentation due to railways alone remain largely unexplored. Barrier effects have mainly been mitigated with wildlife passes, with the effectiveness of this tool being one of the most-studied topics in Railway Ecology. Methods formerly employed to monitor pass usage, such as track beds or video-surveillance, are now being replaced by molecular ones. Among the latter methods, genetic fingerprinting allows individual-based approaches, opening the door to population-scale studies. In fact, genetic sampling allows for the assessment of functional connectivity, which is closely linked to successful reproduction and population viability, variables not necessarily coupled with crossing rates. There is strong evidence that railway verges offer new habitats for generalist species and for opportunistic individuals, a point that deserves to be experimentally explored in order to find wildlife-friendly policies. Preventing animals from crossing (e.g., by fencing), should be reserved for collision hotspots, as it increases barrier effects. Instead, it has been shown that warning signals or pole barriers effectively reduce collisions without increasing barrier effects. In this respect, we argue that computer simulations are a promising field to investigate potential impact scenarios. Finally, we present a protocol to guide planners and managers when assessing barrier effects, with emphasis on monitoring and mitigation strategies.

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Ability of Wildlife Overpasses to Provide Connectivity and Prevent Genetic Isolation

Cited by 177 publications

References 78 publications

A remarkably quick habituation and high use of a rope bridge by an endangered marsupial, the western ringtail possum

A remarkably quick habituation and high use of a rope bridge by an endangered marsupial, the western ringtail possum

Habitat or matrix: which is more relevant to predict road-kill of vertebrates?

Railways as Barriers for Wildlife: Current Knowledge

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