The effect of rainfall upon the behaviour and use of under-road culverts in four amphibian species

Anna Muir,Timothy Gleeson,Silviu Petrovan

doi:10.1093/biohorizons/hzz001

Abstract

The effect of rainfall upon the behaviour and use of under-road culverts in four amphibian species

Highlights

Roads have been recognized as a major factor in the global population decline of amphibians (Glista, DeVault and DeWoody, 2008; Petrovan and Schmidt, 2016)
The most common species were common frogs, totalling 204 observations, whilst common toads were recorded on 26 occasions
As the study was conducted during a rainy period, large amounts of the data are concentrated during rainfall or shortly after rainfall

Summary

Introduction

Roads have been recognized as a major factor in the global population decline of amphibians (Glista, DeVault and DeWoody, 2008; Petrovan and Schmidt, 2016). Amphibians are strongly impacted by road mortalities and roads can further lead to the fragmentation of amphibian habitat and can intersect their migratory routes (Glista, DeVault and DeWoody, 2008). As a result, intercepting these migration routes presents amphibians with a barrier that prevents them from accessing breeding sites and reproducing (Santos et al 2007). This reduces gene flow between populations and can lead to a reduction in genetic variability. This in turn can increase the population’s vulnerability to extinction (Keller and Largiadèr, 2003; Cushman, 2006). Dispersal may be reduced in fragmented landscapes meaning that immigrants cannot bolster struggling populations or recolonize and re-establish populations

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion