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Landscape Features Associated to Roadkill of Three Mammal Species in the Brazilian Cerrado

Mammals have been threatened by roadkill all over the world. In tropical regions, those casualties could represent biodiversity loss by increasing mortality rates or isolation of wildlife populations. This study aims to evaluate spatial patterns and landscape characteristics associated to causalities due to mammal-vehicle collisions. The study site was the highway (SP-225) in northeast of São Paulo State, Brazil. It is located in Cerrado biome with semideciduous forest and riparian vegetation, but land use is dominant in landscape, such as: sugar cane and orange crops, pasture and forestry. Roadkill surveys were done from January/2006 to February/2008 on a daily basis. The authors measured landscape features around (buffers of 1 km, 5 km and 10 km) the roadkill records of three selected species (Cerdocyon thous, Lepus europaeus and Chrysocyon brachyurus). Landscape features were the relative area of each land-cover and landuse classes (divided by buffer area). They used a logistic regression models for each species, thus the dependent variable was species presence and independent variables were landscape features relative area. For generate absence points, they sorted the same number of record of each species. The model selection was done by the Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC). The roadkill survey recorded 114 mammals of 15 species. The two species most hit were Cerdocyon thous and Lepus europaeus, with 32 and 22 records respectively. Chrysocyon brachyurus, a threatened species to extinction, has 10 roadkill records. The best model selected to explain roadkill of Cerdocyon thous based on landscape features showed that it was higher in areas with more forestry and less urban. C. thous is an ecologically plastic animal, so it can adapt well to agricultural, deforestation and regeneration areas. Thus, the C. thous may be using forestry areas distant from urban areas such as route. Roadkill of Lepus europaeus occurred in areas with more forestry, more orange crops and with less native vegetation. L. europaeus can be benefit greatly from the expansion of agricultural areas and because the hare is a generalist herbivore, is often found in areas of planting oranges, sugar cane, among others. Thus, as expected, the roadkills of hare were more frequent near of their habitat: in plantations, far away of native vegetation. Roadkill of the threatened Chrysocyon brachyurus occurred in sites more urban and with less pasture. The landscape analysis of roadkills indicates where were the species’ preferential routes and habitats. As an endangered species, C. brachyurus, represents a special concern for conservation. C. brachyurus is an omnivorous animal and opportunistic, and could be attracted to urban areas, because of the garbage on the road side and the ease hunting of synanthropic animals. The roadkills in areas of less pasture may indicate less use to avoid cattle or fences, corresponding to occasional use in disturbed areas. Knowing landscape characteristics that “attract” animals to roads is relevant to decide the best solutions to mitigate roadkill, especially in tropics that needs a multi-species approach.

  • Summary URL:
  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Abstract used with permission from the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation, organized by the Center for Transportation and the Environment, Institute for Transportation Research and Education, North Carolina State University.
  • Corporate Authors:

    North Carolina State University, Raleigh

    Center for Transportation and the Environment
    Raleigh, NC  United States  27695-8601
  • Authors:
    • Freitas, Simone R
    • Oliveira, Adriana N
    • Ciocheti, Giordano
    • Matos, Dalva M S
  • Conference:
  • Publication Date: 2012

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Maps; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: pp 490-500
  • Monograph Title: Proceedings of the 2011 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET 2011)

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01558414
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Mar 31 2015 8:53AM