Editorial: Amphibian and reptile road ecology

Abstract

Editorial on the Research TopicAmphibian and reptile road ecology Roads have complex negative impacts on biodiversity and may threaten the persistence of wildlife populations by acting as barriers to movement or sources of increased and sometimes substantial mortality (e.g., van der Ree et al., 2015;Moore et al., 2023). Amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna) are known to be particularly susceptible to negative road impacts (e.g., Beebee, 2013;Andrews et al., 2015). Many species migrate among habitats to support basic life history requirements and must cross dangerous roads multiple times each year. Additionally, most herpetofauna species are relatively slowmoving and freeze in the presence of oncoming vehicles (Andrews and Gibbons, 2005;Mazerolle et al., 2005), resulting in an increased risk of mortality for the individual, and increased risks of decline or extirpation for vulnerable populations.Road ecology and mitigation solutions have developed substantially in recent decades. However, progress in knowledge of their effectiveness has been hampered by a lack of postmitigation research focused on individual and population-level responses to passagebarrier systems. Examples of critical knowledge gaps include quantified understandings of the proportions of individuals that successfully cross via passages or changes in population abundance over time (e.g., Soanes et al., 2024).This Research Topic aimed to increase our understanding of both the effects of roads on amphibians and reptiles and the effectiveness of mitigation structures. We sought research from a diversity of regions, landscapes, and species that addressed meaningful road ecology science questions to help inform conservation. Contributed articles fell into three broad categories: 1) Characterizing road mortality and planning for mitigation; 2) Effects of roads, barriers, and passages on movement behavior; and 3) Design, efficacy, and maintenance of barriers and passages.Road mortality hotspots are commonly used for prioritizing placement of fencing and passages; however, data available and approaches used can vary widely (Paemelaere et al., 2023;Ribeiro et al., 2023). Shin et al. compared citizen science (CS) roadkill data in the Republic of Korea to standardized published data and found advantages of widely available Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution frontiersin.org 01