UBC - Conservation Biology Unit, Biology Department, University of Évora, Pólo da Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal; MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal.
UBC - Conservation Biology Unit, Biology Department, University of Évora, Pólo da Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal; MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal.
J Environ Manage. 2022 Aug 15;316:115272. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115272. Epub 2022 May 14.
Roads can block animal movement and reduce persistence of species living in road surroundings. Movement restrictions on local populations may even increase extinction risk of abundant small mammals. However, road verges (road managed area between the edge of the road and the beginning of private land) may provide refuge and corridors for small mammals when properly managed. Information on the effects of roads and roadside management on small-mammal movement is still scarce for low traffic roads (<20,000 vehicles per day) crossing well-preserved habitats. We aimed to fill this gap by comparing fine-scale movement patterns of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) in a road and in a similar roadless area without management. Both areas consisted of a well-preserved Mediterranean agro-silvo pastoral system. We studied several movement patterns: road crossings, verge use, length, and direction of movement. Additionally, we assessed how roadside management, animals' sex and residency status, season and microhabitat affect movement at the road area. At the roadless area, we defined a virtual road and verges at equivalent locations to the road area for comparison purposes. We gathered capture-mark-recapture data for two years to characterize movement patterns. Wood mice tended to avoid the road by crossing it less often and moving away from it more frequently than from equivalent locations in the roadless area. Wood mice used road verges more frequently than virtual verges and moved more often parallel to the road than to the virtual road. Road crossings were more frequent after firebreak openings (strips of mowed land) in surrounding areas and near taller shrubs. Also, males used road verges more often than females. Differences on several movement patterns between areas and their trends within the road area can be explained mainly by the presence of the road and roadside vegetation management (e.g., firebreaks openings). We suggest roadside vegetation management practices (e.g., avoid land mowing; maintain vegetation strips) to promote the role of verges as refuges and/or corridors for small mammals.
道路可以阻碍动物的移动，减少生活在道路周围的物种的持久性。局部种群的移动限制甚至可能增加大量小型哺乳动物的灭绝风险。然而，在适当管理的情况下，道路边缘（道路边缘和私人土地开始之间的管理区域）可为小型哺乳动物提供庇护所和走廊。对于低交通道路（每天<20,000 辆车）穿过保存完好的栖息地，有关道路和路边管理对小型哺乳动物移动影响的信息仍然很少。我们的目的是通过比较在道路和无道路管理的相似区域中森林小鼠（Apodemus sylvaticus）的精细移动模式来填补这一空白。这两个区域都由保存完好的地中海农业-林业系统组成。我们研究了几种运动模式：道路交叉口，边缘利用，运动的长度和方向。此外，我们评估了路边管理，动物的性别和居住状态，季节和微生境如何影响道路区域的运动。在无道路区域，我们在道路区域的等效位置定义了虚拟道路和边缘，用于比较目的。我们收集了两年的捕获-标记-再捕获数据以描述运动模式。森林小鼠倾向于避免道路，其穿越道路的频率较低，而远离道路的频率较高，而远离无道路区域的等效位置的频率较低。森林小鼠比虚拟边缘更频繁地使用道路边缘，并且比虚拟道路更频繁地平行于道路移动。在周围地区的防火带（割草带）和较高的灌木丛附近，道路交叉口更频繁。此外，雄性比雌性更频繁地使用道路边缘。区域之间的几个运动模式差异及其在道路区域内的趋势可以主要通过道路和路边植被管理（例如，防火带开口）来解释。我们建议采用路边植被管理实践（例如，避免土地割草；保持植被带）来促进边缘作为小型哺乳动物的庇护所和/或走廊的作用。
