The value of monitoring wildlife roadkill

The number of wildlife-vehicle collisions has an obvious value in estimating the direct effects of roads on wildlife, i.e. mortality due to vehicle collisions. Given the nature of the data—species identification and location—there is, however, much wider ecological knowledge that can be gained by monitoring wildlife roadkill. Here, we review the added value and opportunities provided by these data, through a series of case studies where such data have been instrumental in contributing to the advancement of knowledge in species distributions, population dynamics, and animal behaviour, as well as informing us about health of the species and of the environment. We propose that consistently, systematically, and extensively monitoring roadkill facilitates five critical areas of ecological study: (1) monitoring of roadkill numbers, (2) monitoring of population trends, (3) mapping of native and invasive species distributions, (4) animal behaviour, and (5) monitoring of contaminants and disease. The collection of such data also offers a valuable opportunity for members of the public to be directly involved in scientific data collection and research (citizen science). Through continuing to monitor wildlife roadkill, we can expand our knowledge across a wide range of ecological research areas, as well as facilitating investigations that aim to reduce both the direct and indirect effects of roads on wildlife populations

Effects of Infection of the Protist Parasite, Dermomycoides sp., in Dusky Gopher Frog Tadpoles

Infections of the protist parasite, Dermomycoides sp. are thought to have caused several years of low recruitment in the dusky gopher frog (Rana sevosa) populations. I evaluated the effects of density of the infective zoospores, host developmental stage, and tadpoles\u27 ability to acquire resistance to Dermomycoides sp. on dusky gopher frog tadpoles. Tadpoles were exposed to zoospore densities of 0, 250, 500, and 750 zoospores/µL at Gosner stage 25, and we found no significant differences among treatments in tadpole mortality. In evaluating susceptibility by development stage, I exposed R. sevosa to 50 zoospores/µL as eggs, embryos, hatchlings, and 2-weeks post hatching tadpoles. Hatchlings (17 days, SE = 2.09 days) and tadpoles exposed 2-weeks post-hatching (17.65 days, SE = 1.48 days) had a significantly lower days to mortality than tadpoles exposed as eggs(27.56 days, SE = 2.09 days) or embryos ( 25.81 days, SE = 2.09 days). To assess if gopher frog tadpoles can acquire resistance to Dermomycoides sp. I exposed tadpoles around Gosner stage 25 to an initial zero (0 zoospores/µL), low (50 zoospores/µL), or high (250 zoospores/µL) dose of Dermomycoides sp. Two-weeks later each treatment was exposed to a second zero, low, or high dose for a total of 9 treatments. Survival was lowest in tadpoles that received a low initial dose followed by a zero or high challenge dose (0 and 3.03% respectively). I found that gopher frog tadpoles can acquire resistance to Dermomycoides sp., and that age at initial exposure plays an important role in tadpole survival

Dinámica poblacional de puma concolor y sus presas principales, en la sierra Nanchititla, México

Los estudios de dinámicas poblacionales y demográficas, son útiles en los ecosistemas, ya que ayudan a comprender el papel ecológico y la relación que desempeñan los carnívoros y sus presas dentro de una comunidad ecológica y ayudan a establecer estrategias para su conservación. En este estudio se estimó la abundancia, densidad y patrón de actividad de Puma concolor y para cada una de sus presas principales (armadillo, coatí y venado) y se determino la interacción depredador-presa. También se estimo la supervivencia, emigración e inmigración para puma. La zona de estudio fue la Reserva Natural Sierra Nanchititla, ubicada en la cuenca del Balsas en el centro de México. Se utilizaron trampas cámara para obtener registros fotográficos de puma y cada una de sus presas. La abundancia de puma se obtuvo con los programas MARK y CAPTURE, dando como resultado cuatro y ocho individuos, respectivamente y densidades de 2 a 6 individuos/100km2, el patrón de actividad para esta especie fue nocturna. La densidad de venado fue 2 a 6.3 individuos/km2 en las lluvias y de 0.8 a 12 en la sequia y con actividad principalmente diurna. Se obtuvo un índice de abundancia relativa para las otras presas, siendo el coatí el más abundante con un IAR de 1.23 a 10.95 y patrón de actividad diurno y armadillo de 0.16 a 1.19 con actividad nocturno. El puma mostró una respuesta funcional tipo III para su presa principal (armadillo), pero no para sus otras dos presas. Los modelos de regresión múltiple mostraron que la abundancia de armadillo y coatí tienen un efecto significativo del 98% sobre la tasas de crecimiento de puma, lo que permitió encontrar un efecto buttom-up en esta población. Los patrones de actividad mostraron que el puma sobrepone su actividad con el de armadillo, lo que muestra porque es la presa principal. La sobrevivencia de puma fue de 100 % en los diferentes muestreos analizados y la migración e inmigración de 57 % en la primer área de muestreo, 40% en la segunda área de muestreo y de 100% en la tercera. Finalmente con los resultados de este estudio se muestra que el armadillo es una especie importante para puma y que se requiere establecer estrategias de conservación, para que las poblaciones de puma puedan mantenerse viables a largo plazo en la RNSN

Report of county commissioners of Hillsborough county, New Hampshire with reports of the county treasurer, clerk of court, etc. for the year ending December 31, 1937.

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a county in the state of New Hampshire

Roads and wildlife

Roads are an inevitable result of human expansion across the globe, but result in unintended consequences for the other species we share our planet with, both directly (e.g. through deaths due to wildlife-vehicle collisions), as well as indirectly (e.g. through habitat degradation, and providing a barrier to animal movement). These effects are so wide-reaching that a new term – road ecology – was coined in 1998 to describe the study of these ecological impacts. The overall aim of this thesis is to increase our knowledge of road ecology and begins by reviewing the literature on the scientific value of monitoring wildlife roadkill (Chapter 2). Five continuous years of data from a citizen science roadkill recording scheme ‘Project Splatter’ is then used to examine temporal trends in wildlife roadkill in the UK (Chapter 3). Camera-trapping experiments were utilised to gain additional insight into the behavioural effects of roads on wildlife, namely the behaviour of scavengers of roadkill (Chapter 4), as well as the effects of light and sound pollution caused by roads on the behaviour of wildlife (Chapter 5). A review of the existing literature in Chapter 2 demonstrates how studying roadkill has enhanced our knowledge in several critical areas of ecological study, I also show how even with limited geographical and taxonomic estimates, in excess of 400 million vertebrates are killed on roads worldwide each year. Chapter 3 shows that the temporal patterns of roadkill in the UK are peculiar to a given species, but are remarkably consistent between years, and poses the hypothesis that the observed temporal patterns are driven by species-specific seasonal changes in behaviour. In Chapter 4, I show how scavengers of roadkill can remove carcasses very quickly, potentially leading to an under-estimation of true roadkill numbers - 76% of experimentally placed carcasses were removed within 12 hours, and the number of scavenging events peaked in the first few hours of daylight. Finally, Chapter 5 demonstrates how road traffic noise is likely to negatively influence wildlife behaviour by causing animals to avoid particularly noisy areas, as well as by altering xiii their behaviour to increase the amount of vigilance behaviour, leading to a reduction in time available to spend foraging. The research presented within this thesis has expanded the current knowledge of road ecology, particularly within a UK context, and has continued to demonstrate how data collected by members of the public (through citizen science projects) can have important scientific value. This deeper understanding of the impacts of roads on wildlife is important if we wish to reduce the ecological impacts of our ever-expanding road system