Use of underpasses by animals on a fenced expressway in a suburban area in western Poland
| Autor: | Jacek Bojarski, J. Cichocki, Agnieszka Ważna, Agnieszka Kaźmierczak, Grzegorz Gabryś |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
wildlife underpasses lcsh:QH1-199.5 suburban area barrier effect lcsh:General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Archaeology 010601 ecology Geography lcsh:QH540-549.5 vertebrate barrier effect expressway suburban area vertebrate wildlife underpasses Suburban area lcsh:Ecology Nature and Landscape Conservation expressway |
| Zdroj: | Nature Conservation 39: 1-18 Nature Conservation, Vol 39, Iss, Pp 1-18 (2020) |
| ISSN: | 1314-3301 1314-6947 |
| DOI: | 10.3897/natureconservation.39.33967 |
| Popis: | Expressways act as barriers to animals that block free movement in their habitats, especially when the roads are continuously fenced to prevent collisions between animals and vehicles. Various types of animal passages have been repeatedly studied in terms of their utility, albeit rather less frequently in the suburban environment. We conducted our research in a section of the fenced expressway S3 connecting two closely located cities in western Poland (Lubuskie province). Over the course of one year, we monitored four underpasses intended for small- and medium-sized animals using tracks. The underpasses were inspected weekly. Animal traces most frequently found belonged to roe deer Capreolus capreolus (20.9%), red fox Vulpes vulpes (15.1%), wild boar Sus scrofa (14%), and domestic dog Canis l. familiaris (12.4%). Surprisingly, the results of our study indicate that underpasses for small and medium mammals are also used by ungulate mammals. The use of the underpasses varied seasonally, being the highest in spring (37.9%) and the lowest in winter (10.4%). Moreover, seasonal differences in the use of passages were related to particular species/groups of animal species. We found that 22% of animals that entered the passage did not completely traverse it. People accounted for 17.1% of all stated traces in the underpasses. Stagnant water in the underpasses reduced the number of predatory mammals and wild boars using the underpasses but did not affect the activity of roe deer. These studies indicate that animal underpasses located in suburban areas are used by many species of animals despite the activity of humans and domesticated mammals. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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