An inventory of vertebrate roadkill in the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area, South Africa

Using a standard protocol, we conducted vertebrate roadkill surveys in the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA), South Africa, which is a World Heritage Site. A total of 991 roadkill were recorded on the paved roads and 36 roadkill on the unpaved roads. Identifiable roadkill comprised 162 species from 24 orders and 65 families. Ninety-three roadkill could not be identified to species level. Roadkill counts were strongly influenced by road type and season. More roadkill was recorded on the paved than the unpaved roads. Irrespective of road type, the proportion of roadkill was greatest in the hot/wet season (4.3 paved roadkill/km/day paved and 1.3 roadkill/km/day unpaved) and lowest in the cold/dry season (2.0 roadkill/km/day paved and 0.1 roadkill/km/day unpaved). The high numbers of vertebrates identified as roadkill suggests that road traffic has the potential to directly and negatively affect biodiversity conservation in this part of South Africa. We recommend continued roadkill data collection across South Africa to assist with creating an inventory of species most likely to be at risk from roads. This will, in turn, better inform the implementation of potential mitigation measures.This research was initiated by the Endangered Wildlife Trust, with funding from Bridgestone South Africa.http://www.sawma.co.zaam201

Book reviews:Bats of Southern and Central Africa: A Biogeographic and Taxonomic Synthesis by Ara Monadjem, Peter John Taylor, F.P.D. (Woody) Cotterill & M. Corrie Schoeman. Wits University Press, Johannesburg. 2010. Pp. 564. Price R591.00 (paperback).ISBN

Bats of Southern and Central Africa: A Biogeographic and Taxonomic Synthesis by Ara Monadjem, Peter John Taylor, F.P.D. (Woody) Cotterill & M. Corrie Schoeman. Wits  University Press, Johannesburg. 2010. Pp. 564. Price R591.00 (paperback).ISBN  978-1-86814-508-9

Variation in the timing of reproduction of the four-striped field mouse, Rhabdomys pumilio, in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

We used the four-striped field mouse, Rhabdomys pumilio (Sparrmann, 1784), to  test the hypothesis that reproduction in a small, short-lived mammal will be  opportunistic, characterized by temporal and spatial variation in the timing of events, and only be inhibited under harsh and predictable winter conditions. Field mice were trapped for three years in two regions of the Eastern Cape Province of  South Africa, one that experienced a predictable and harsh winter (Mountain Zebra National Park; MZNP) and  the other which experienced a milder winter (Thomas Baines Nature Reserve; TBNR).  There was no winter inhibition of reproduction at TBNR, while at MZNP female reproductive activity was inhibited but males continued to produce spermatozoa in  winter. We interpret this flexibility in the timing of reproduction as supporting an opportunistic reproductive strategy which may be an adaptation to the seasonal and  often unpredictable climate of the region.Key words: opportunistic reproduction; seasonal reproduction; reproductive inhibition

Factors influencing the spatial patterns of vertebrate roadkill in South Africa : the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area as a case study

Few studies have investigated the factors that influence roadkill occurrence in developing countries. In 2013, we monitored a 100‐km section of the road (comprising the R572 and R521 regional highways and the D2662) that pass through the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area in South Africa, to assess the possible factors influencing roadkill. Over a period of 120 days, and across the three ecological seasons, we recorded 981 roadkills (rate = 0.08 roadkill/km/day) from four vertebrate taxonomic groups. We generated predictive models of roadkill from one combined data set that considered eight variables identified from the literature as potential correlates of roadkill. The model that included the distance of the fence from the road, habitat type adjacent to the road, and the presence of a hill in the road (i.e., elevation) or a bank on the side of the road best explained roadkill occurrence. More roadkill was predicted to occur in both open and dense mopane and dense mixed bushveld habitats, on a hill, when there was a bank on the side of the road, and as the distance between the road verge and a fence decreased. Our model provides some insight into the significant predictors of roadkill occurrence and is therefore a valuable tool in identifying sites of high‐potential roadkill frequency and formulating mitigation measures for reducing road mortalities.Bridgestone South Africa; De Beers Group of Companies; E. Oppenheimer and Son; Endangered Wildlife Trust.http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/aje2020-12-01hj2020Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog