Individual Spatial Responses towards Roads: Implications for Mortality Risk

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043811
• Publication Date: 2012-09-06T21:42:27Z
• Authors: Clara Grilo; Joana Sousa; Fernando Ascensão; Hugo Matos; Inês Leitão; Paula Pinheiro; Monica Costa; João Bernardo; Dyana Reto; Rui Lourenço; Margarida Santos-...; Eloy Revilla
• Keywords: Barn-owl; Marten; Tyto; Barn

Understanding the ecological consequences of roads and developing ways to mitigate their negative effects has become an important goal for many conservation biologists. Most mitigation measures are based on road mortality barrier data. However, studying fine-scale individual spatial responses in roaded landscapes may help develop more cohesive planning strategies wildlife conservation.We investigated how individuals respond behavior toward a highway its traffic intensity by radio-tracking two common species particularly vulnerable (barn owl Tyto alba stone marten Martes foina). We addressed following questions: 1) highways affected home-range location size immediate vicinity these structures, 2) which road-related features influenced habitat selection, 3) what was role different movement properties, 4) characteristics were associated with crossing events road-kills. The main findings were: if there available habitat, barn owls martens not avoid even include within home-ranges; both avoided using areas near when high, but tended move streams close proximity where verges offered suitable habitat; cross above-grade sections while at leveled sections.Mortality be road-mediated mechanism that affects populations. Fine-scale movements strongly indicated decrease risk can realized reducing sources attraction, increasing permeability through promote safe crossings.