Methods to Monitor and Mitigate Wildlife Mortality in Railways

Carvalho, Filipe; Santos, Sara; Lourenço, Rui

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-57496-7_3

Cited by 14 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(123 reference statements)

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“…For each section, we determined the number of collisions per year and divided by the length of each section to derive a collision rate (collisions·km −1 ·yr −1 ; as recommended by Carvalho et al. ) reported on both the highway and the railway for the years before and after mitigation. We did not include in our rate estimate measures of traffic volume, which were only available on the highway (Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildlife mortality on roads and railways following highway mitigation

et al. 2019

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Wildlife mortality caused by collisions with vehicles on roads is increasingly and effectively mitigated with exclusion fencing and crossing structures, but this solution potentially changes wildlife habitat use and distribution to increase the risk of mortality on adjacent, unmitigated railways. We investigated this potential side‐effect of mitigating the TransCanada Highway, which was completed in sections between 1983 and 2013, on the rate of wildlife mortality on the nearby transcontinental mainline of the Canadian Pacific Railway in Banff National Park. For each transportation class (highway and railway), we calculated collision rate as the number of collisions per year and km for two guilds (carnivores and ungulates) before and after mitigation occurred between 1981 and 2014. We constructed additional models for each transportation class and each of four species groups with adequate sample sizes: elk (Cervus canadensis), other ungulates (family Cervidae), bears (Ursus spp.), and coyotes (Canis latrans). Across guilds, mortality rates declined after mitigation, particularly on the highway (as expected) and most strongly for ungulates. For individual species groups, mortality on the railway for elk was best predicted by year and population size, without the inclusion of mitigation status on the adjacent highway. However, collision rates on the railway increased after mitigation for other ungulates (mostly deer, Odocoileus spp.) while also increasing over time. Collision rates on the railway increased over time for bears, but not in relation to highway mitigation. We found no evidence that the spatial distribution of collisions on the railway changed after highway mitigation, as might be expected from a funneling effect of crossing structures. Our results support and extend previous work demonstrating that exclusion fencing and wildlife crossing structures reduce wildlife mortalities on the highway at this location, and provide limited evidence, for other ungulates alone, that such mitigation may increase mortality on the adjacent railway. Similar analyses are warranted in other locations, particularly mountainous regions, where major transportation features often occur in close proximity.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildlife mortality on roads and railways following highway mitigation

et al. 2019

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“…Birds may use linear structures as breeding habitat due to their lower predatory pressure, higher temperature and larger number of food items, including road-killed ones (Mumme et al 2000; Morelli 2013; Morelli et al 2014; Heske 2015; but see Vierling (2000) which revealed sink effect of roadside ditches). Despite a lot of casualties (Carvalho et al 2017; Godinho et al 2017a; Lucas et al 2017; Murias et al 2017; Santos et al 2017), some animal groups such as raptors and scavengers may be highly dependent on road habitats as sources of food (Benítez-López et al 2010; Coleman and Fraser 1989). Linear structures change local abiotic conditions, leading to the emergence of strong environmental gradients that may increase the availability of niches and thus increase species diversity (Amarasekare 2003; Nord and Forslund 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of railways on bird diversity in farmland

Kajzer‐Bonk

Skórka

Bonk

et al. 2019

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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With a length exceeding 210,000 km in Europe, railways are common linear features dissecting landscapes. However, the impact of railway networks on biodiversity is equivocal. In this study, we investigated the effect of railway embankments on bird diversity components in an agricultural landscape in southern Poland. Forty transects including 20 along railways and 20 as controls in open fields were established. Birds were counted twice in 2009, and environmental characteristics were estimated for each transect. Ordination techniques and generalized additive models were used to compare species composition, richness, abundance, conservation status, population trends and phylogenetic and functional diversity indices between railway and field transects. Species richness and phylogenetic diversity but not abundance nor functional diversity were higher along railway transects than along field transects. Diversity indices near railways, mostly species richness and phylogenetic diversity, were positively associated with bush cover, wet meadow cover, wetland cover and the slope of the railway but negatively associated with dry meadow cover and field cover. Our study shows that railway embankments may be beneficial for bird diversity but probably do not alter the functional properties of bird communities as much as open fields. Proper management of these linear habitats may increase their value for birds and contribute to long-term bird community persistence.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s11356-019-06245-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…However, camouflage in ecosystems used by humans is likely most effective for species that blend-in with elevated structure, both natural and man-made. Indeed, camouflage and freeze responses among ground-dwelling species likely provide little protection from agricultural, landscaping, and transportation practices, each presenting lethal risk (Trombulak & Frissell, 2000; Kirk, Lindsay & Brook, 2011; Carvalho et al, 2017). For many species, humans present unnatural conditions and perturbations that heighten risk (Cushman, 2006; Wong & Candolin, 2015; Li et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Move it or lose it: interspecific variation in risk response of pond-breeding anurans

Matich

Schalk

2019

PeerJ

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Changes in behavior are often the proximate response of animals to human disturbance, with variability in tolerance levels leading some species to exhibit striking shifts in life history, fitness, and/or survival. Thus, elucidating the effects of disturbance on animal behavior, and how this varies among taxonomically similar species with inherently different behaviors and life histories is of value for management and conservation. We evaluated the risk response of three anuran species—southern leopard frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus), Blanchard’s cricket frog (Acris blanchardi), and green tree frog (Hyla cinerea)—to determine how differences in microhabitat use (arboreal vs ground-dwelling) and body size (small vs medium) may play a role in response to a potential threat within a human-altered subtropical forest. Each species responded to risk with both flight and freeze behaviors, however, behaviors were species- and context-specific. As distance to cover increased, southern leopard frogs increased freezing behavior, green tree frogs decreased freezing behavior, and Blanchard’s cricket frogs increased flight response. The propensity of green tree frogs to use the canopy of vegetation as refugia, and the small body size of Blanchard’s cricket frogs likely led to greater flight response as distance to cover increased, whereas innate reliance on camouflage among southern leopard frogs may place them at greater risk to landscaping, agricultural, and transportation practices in open terrain. As such, arboreal and small-bodied species may inherently be better suited in human altered-landscapes compared to larger, ground-dwelling species. As land-use change continues to modify habitats, understanding how species respond to changes in their environment continues to be of importance, particularly in ecosystems where human-wildlife interactions are expected to increase in frequency.

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Methods to Monitor and Mitigate Wildlife Mortality in Railways

Cited by 14 publications

References 43 publications

Wildlife mortality on roads and railways following highway mitigation

Wildlife mortality on roads and railways following highway mitigation

The effect of railways on bird diversity in farmland

Move it or lose it: interspecific variation in risk response of pond-breeding anurans

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