A Synopsis of the Case Study: Targeting Ecological Investigations to Prioritize Management for Reducing Vehicle-Caused Butterfly Mortality
Roads that bisect habitat can decrease population size due to animal-vehicle collisions or interruption of key life history events. Along the Oregon coast, a highway divides primary breeding from nectaring habitat of the Oregon silverspot butterfly (Speyeria zerene hippolyta), a federally listed species. The authors could not directly evaluate the management options for reducing vehicle-caused deaths of silverspots; therefore, to prioritize management, they studied relevant ecology. They sampled behavior in road and surrounding meadow plots and sampled flowers along the verge. Silverspots did not prefer the road for basking or flying, suggesting management to increase wind or shading in the road should not be considered further. They crossed the road where the verge had more flowering plants, and most crossings were concentrated in specific areas. Hence, the authors recommend vegetation management and barriers that increase flight height. Reduction of traffic speed when road temperature is just over the threshold temperature correlated with flight, also may reduce butterfly-vehicle collisions. This approach of gathering targeted ecological information was effective for prioritizing management options and should be useful across taxa and habitats. Such effective, quick, and inexpensive approaches are needed to identify how to respond to road impacts, especially given greater urbanization and climate change.
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- Summary URL:
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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.
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Corporate Authors:
North Carolina State University, Raleigh
Center for Transportation and the Environment
Raleigh, NC United States 27695-8601 -
Authors:
- Zielin, Sara B
- de Rivera, Catherine E
- Smith, Winston P
- Jacobson, Sandra L
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Conference:
- 2011 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET 2011)
- Location: Seattle Washington, United States
- Date: 2011-8-21 to 2011-8-25
- Publication Date: 2012
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Features: References;
- Pagination: pp 105-109
- Monograph Title: Proceedings of the 2011 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET 2011)
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Case studies; Ecology; Environmental policy; Environmental protection; Highways; Insects
- Geographic Terms: Oregon
- Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I15: Environment; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01558524
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Mar 31 2015 8:53AM