Diversity lost: are all Holarctic large mammal species just relict populations?

Abstract Roads impact wildlife in multiple ways, most conspicuous amongst which are animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs). Mitigation measures to reduce AVCs at the local scale are often centred on species-specific crossing zones and collision hotspots. However, at the road network scale, consideration of interactions among road, species and traffic characteristics influencing AVC occurrence is required to design effective mitigation strategies. We modelled traversability—the probability of an animal successfully crossing a road- across an Indian highway for six large mammal species under different scenarios of road and traffic characteristics. Among the study species, group-living and slow-moving animals had higher AVC probabilities that increased significantly with increasing traffic volume and proportions of heavy vehicles in the traffic flow. The risk of AVC was higher for species that were active near roadside habitat during peak traffic hours. Our approach could help identify roads that pose potential mortality risks to animals using empirical data on animal and traffic characteristics. Results suggest that regulating traffic volume and heterogeneity on existing road stretches could potentially reduce animal mortality and barrier effect. Mitigation on roads expected to carry heavy traffic loads passing through ecologically-sensitive areas should be prioritised to ensure traversability for animal communities.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Multiple causes of high extinction risk in large mammal species.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.1027964.334854 ◽

2005 ◽

Author(s):

Virginia Dale

Keyword(s):

Extinction Risk ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Large Mammal ◽

Multiple Causes

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Paleontology to policy: the Quaternary history of Southeast Asian tapirs (Tapiridae) in relation to large mammal species turnover, with a proposal for conservation of Malayan tapir by reintroduction to Borneo

Integrative Zoology ◽

10.1111/j.1749-4877.2012.00319.x ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 95-120 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Earl of CRANBROOK ◽

Philip J. PIPER

Keyword(s):

Species Turnover ◽

Southeast Asian ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Large Mammal ◽

History Of ◽

Quaternary History

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Medium and large mammals in a Cerrado fragment in Southeast Goiás, Brazil: inventory and immediate effects of habitat reduction on species richness and composition

Biota Neotropica ◽

10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2018-0671 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Ednaldo Cândido Rocha ◽

Jhefferson Silva ◽

Pablo Timóteo da Silva ◽

Márcio da Silva Araújo ◽

André Luis da Silva Castro

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Time Lag ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Complete Collection ◽

Large Mammal ◽

Remnant Vegetation ◽

Animal Burrows ◽

Period 2 ◽

Species Similarity

Abstract: The reduction and fragmentation of remnant vegetation habitats has been one of the main threats to Cerrado biodiversity. The aim of the present study is to make an inventory of medium and large mammal species in a Cerrado remnant and to assess deforestation influence on part of this fragment on the richness and composition of mammal species. The study was conducted in a Cerrado fragment in southeast Goias State, Ipameri County. Data were collected during three different periods (P1, January-June, 2014; P2, December, 2016 - June, 2017; P3, July-December, 2017) through direct (visual, vocal and camera-trap records) and indirect methods (foot prints, animal burrows and other traces) in order to register the mammal species. Jackknife 1 estimator was used to estimate species richness during each of the three sampled periods and for the complete collection period; species similarity between periods was assessed through the Jaccard's Index of Similarity (Cj). Species richness between periods was performed through inference by overlapping confidence intervals (CI). Twenty-nine species were recorded during the assessed period, five of them were listed as endangered in Brazil. There was no significant change in species richness between the assessed periods: species richness of 25 species was observed in Period 1 (P1), the richness of 32 species was estimated (CI = 4.58); 23 species were recorded in Period 2 (P2), and the richness of 30 species was estimated (CI = 4.39), the richness of 23 species was observed in Period 3 (P3) and the richness of 28 species was estimated (CI = 4.70). Similarity in species composition between the assessed periods recorded Cj = 0.71 (71%) between P1 and P2, Cj = 0.66 (66%) between P1 and P3, and Cj = 0.77 between P2 and P3. Fragment deforestation did not influence the richness and composition of medium and large mammal species (within a period of 2~3 years) when the three periods were compared; however, the absence of changes in the community can be the result of time-lag, therefore, we cannot put aside the likelihood of mid and long-term effects.

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