Influence of behavior and habitat on wildlife roadkill: the case of vertebrates on peri-urban roads in the Colombian Andes
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| Autores: | , , , , , |
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| Formato: | artículo original |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de Publicación: | 2024 |
| Descripción: | Introduction: Urban development and expansion have led to the loss and transformation of Andean ecosystems. However, remnant forests that maintain biodiversity still exist around Colombia's major cities, but these forests are threatened by the road infrastructure. Road ecology in the Neotropics has been focused specifically in documenting the effects of roadkill from a taxonomic and functional point of view, mainly in rural areas. Objective: To evaluate ecologically and spatially, the collision of fauna on roads located in areas of urban expansion in the Northern Colombian Andes. Methods: We assessed vertebrate mortality rate and identified the critical areas of roadkill by taxonomic and functional groups. This was achieved through spatial ecology analysis, specifically Kernel density analysis and hotspot spatial statistical analysis. Additionally, we identified landscape features associated with road mortality and assessed the role of roads as resistance and permeability factors Results: A total of 279 roadkilled animals belonging to 64 species were found, accounting for 28 % of the 273 vertebrate species recorded in the reserve near the studied roads. The average mortality rate for vertebrates was estimated from 42 to 170 individuals annually. Differential patterns were detected in roadkill density across taxonomic and functional groups, where nocturnal species and the trophic guilds are the most vulnerable. Likewise, it was found that the sections of the roads close to the forest have a greater roadkill species richness with greater ecological requirements. These sections constitute an important resistance to species movement in the area. Conclusions: Road mortality in the study area exhibits heterogeneous spatial patterns not only at a taxonomic but also at a functional level, suggesting the deterioration of protected ecosystems in adjacent peri-urban areas. |
| País: | Portal de Revistas UCR |
| Institución: | Universidad de Costa Rica |
| Repositorio: | Portal de Revistas UCR |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:portal.ucr.ac.cr:article/56433 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rbt/article/view/56433 |