Mammalian Roadkill in a Semi-Arid Region of Brazil: Species, Landscape Patterns, Seasonality, and Hotspots
Roadkill is one of the principal causes of the loss of biodiversity around the world. The effects of roads on mammals are still poorly understood in regions with a semi-arid climate, where many knowledge gaps persist. The present study provides an inventory of the mammalian species affected on highw...
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/6/780 |
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| author | Raul Santos Ayko Shimabukuro Itainara Taili Roberto Muriel Artur Lupinetti-Cunha Simone Rodrigues Freitas Cecilia Calabuig |
| author_facet | Raul Santos Ayko Shimabukuro Itainara Taili Roberto Muriel Artur Lupinetti-Cunha Simone Rodrigues Freitas Cecilia Calabuig |
| author_sort | Raul Santos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Roadkill is one of the principal causes of the loss of biodiversity around the world. The effects of roads on mammals are still poorly understood in regions with a semi-arid climate, where many knowledge gaps persist. The present study provides an inventory of the mammalian species affected on highways in northeastern Brazil, as well as identifying roadkill hotspots and contributing to the understanding of how seasonality and the landscape may influence the roadkill patterns of wild mammals. A total of 6192.52 km of road were sampled in 53 field surveys conducted between 2013 and 2017. Landsat 8 satellite images and data from the MapBiomas platform were used to classify land use and cover for analysis. Buffers of 1 km, 5 km, and 10 km were created around the study roads to identify the landscape variables associated with roadkill events. Ripley’s 2D K-Statistics and the 2D HotSpot test were used to identify roadkill aggregations and hotspots; GLMMs were generated for the landscape variables and evaluated using the Akaike Information Criterion. The Kruskal–Wallis test was applied to investigate the potential effects of seasonality. A total of 527 wild animal carcasses were recorded as a result of vehicular collision. The species with the highest roadkill records were <i>Cerdocyon thous</i>, <i>Euphractus sexcinctus</i>, and <i>Procyon cancrivorus</i>, while two species—<i>Leopardus emiliae</i> and <i>Herpailurus yagouaroundi</i>—are considered to be under threat of extinction. For mammals in general, the best GLMM indicated an increase in roadkills with increasing density of local vegetation areas, and a decrease as urban areas increased. The model also found that the mammals were less impacted in the vicinity of a protected area. In the specific case of <i>C. thous</i>, the roadkill rate was lower when urban infrastructure was more common than dense vegetation; the rate increased as areas of dense vegetation increased. In the case of <i>P. cancrivorus</i> and <i>E. sexcinctus</i>, the best models of roadkill patterns included an area of exposed soil and sparse vegetation, respectively. Roadkill rates were higher in the rainy season for all the mammals, with the exception of <i>C. thous</i>. These results reflect the ecological characteristics of the species with the highest roadkill rates. The findings of the present study raise concerns with regard to the impact of highways on the populations of <i>C. thous</i>, as well as the region’s most threatened species. They also indicate the potential functionality of the local protected area, as well as identifying roadkill hotspots, which will support the development of effective mitigation measures. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:33:46Z |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:33:46Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-7b1f1e21acf248f7b263a363ffc2e95a2023-11-18T10:03:24ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182023-06-0115678010.3390/d15060780Mammalian Roadkill in a Semi-Arid Region of Brazil: Species, Landscape Patterns, Seasonality, and HotspotsRaul Santos0Ayko Shimabukuro1Itainara Taili2Roberto Muriel3Artur Lupinetti-Cunha4Simone Rodrigues Freitas5Cecilia Calabuig6Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Ecology and Wildlife Conservation Laboratory, Semi-arid Rural Federal University, Mossoró 59625-900, BrazilCenter for Biological and Health Sciences, Ecology and Wildlife Conservation Laboratory, Semi-arid Rural Federal University, Mossoró 59625-900, BrazilCenter for Biological and Health Sciences, Ecology and Wildlife Conservation Laboratory, Semi-arid Rural Federal University, Mossoró 59625-900, BrazilEstación Ecologica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 41092 Sevill, SpainDepartment of Ecology, Biosciences Institute, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, BrazilCenter for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, Santo André 09210-580, BrazilCenter for Biological and Health Sciences, Ecology and Wildlife Conservation Laboratory, Semi-arid Rural Federal University, Mossoró 59625-900, BrazilRoadkill is one of the principal causes of the loss of biodiversity around the world. The effects of roads on mammals are still poorly understood in regions with a semi-arid climate, where many knowledge gaps persist. The present study provides an inventory of the mammalian species affected on highways in northeastern Brazil, as well as identifying roadkill hotspots and contributing to the understanding of how seasonality and the landscape may influence the roadkill patterns of wild mammals. A total of 6192.52 km of road were sampled in 53 field surveys conducted between 2013 and 2017. Landsat 8 satellite images and data from the MapBiomas platform were used to classify land use and cover for analysis. Buffers of 1 km, 5 km, and 10 km were created around the study roads to identify the landscape variables associated with roadkill events. Ripley’s 2D K-Statistics and the 2D HotSpot test were used to identify roadkill aggregations and hotspots; GLMMs were generated for the landscape variables and evaluated using the Akaike Information Criterion. The Kruskal–Wallis test was applied to investigate the potential effects of seasonality. A total of 527 wild animal carcasses were recorded as a result of vehicular collision. The species with the highest roadkill records were <i>Cerdocyon thous</i>, <i>Euphractus sexcinctus</i>, and <i>Procyon cancrivorus</i>, while two species—<i>Leopardus emiliae</i> and <i>Herpailurus yagouaroundi</i>—are considered to be under threat of extinction. For mammals in general, the best GLMM indicated an increase in roadkills with increasing density of local vegetation areas, and a decrease as urban areas increased. The model also found that the mammals were less impacted in the vicinity of a protected area. In the specific case of <i>C. thous</i>, the roadkill rate was lower when urban infrastructure was more common than dense vegetation; the rate increased as areas of dense vegetation increased. In the case of <i>P. cancrivorus</i> and <i>E. sexcinctus</i>, the best models of roadkill patterns included an area of exposed soil and sparse vegetation, respectively. Roadkill rates were higher in the rainy season for all the mammals, with the exception of <i>C. thous</i>. These results reflect the ecological characteristics of the species with the highest roadkill rates. The findings of the present study raise concerns with regard to the impact of highways on the populations of <i>C. thous</i>, as well as the region’s most threatened species. They also indicate the potential functionality of the local protected area, as well as identifying roadkill hotspots, which will support the development of effective mitigation measures.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/6/780road ecologyroadkill ratesseasonalityCaatingaBrazil |
| spellingShingle | Raul Santos Ayko Shimabukuro Itainara Taili Roberto Muriel Artur Lupinetti-Cunha Simone Rodrigues Freitas Cecilia Calabuig Mammalian Roadkill in a Semi-Arid Region of Brazil: Species, Landscape Patterns, Seasonality, and Hotspots Diversity road ecology roadkill rates seasonality Caatinga Brazil |
| title | Mammalian Roadkill in a Semi-Arid Region of Brazil: Species, Landscape Patterns, Seasonality, and Hotspots |
| title_full | Mammalian Roadkill in a Semi-Arid Region of Brazil: Species, Landscape Patterns, Seasonality, and Hotspots |
| title_fullStr | Mammalian Roadkill in a Semi-Arid Region of Brazil: Species, Landscape Patterns, Seasonality, and Hotspots |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mammalian Roadkill in a Semi-Arid Region of Brazil: Species, Landscape Patterns, Seasonality, and Hotspots |
| title_short | Mammalian Roadkill in a Semi-Arid Region of Brazil: Species, Landscape Patterns, Seasonality, and Hotspots |
| title_sort | mammalian roadkill in a semi arid region of brazil species landscape patterns seasonality and hotspots |
| topic | road ecology roadkill rates seasonality Caatinga Brazil |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/6/780 |
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