Road traffic is the main factor causing the decline in amphibian populations worldwide. The proper design of an amphibian tunnel is one of the most efficient measures to mitigate the negative impacts of road traffic o...Road traffic is the main factor causing the decline in amphibian populations worldwide. The proper design of an amphibian tunnel is one of the most efficient measures to mitigate the negative impacts of road traffic on amphibians. However, no study has investigated the effectiveness of amphibian tunnels under semi-controlled conditions in Asian amphibians. Here, we selected two representative amphibian species, the Chinese brown frog, Rana chensinensis, and the Asiatic toad, Bufo gargarizans, which suffer the most severe road mortality along the roads in Northeast China. We placed experimental arrays of culverts of various sizes(diameters of 1.5, 1, and 0.5 m for circular culverts; side lengths of 1.5, 1, and 0.5 m for box culverts), and substrate type(soil, concrete, and metal) to examine the preferences of both species during the migratory season between May and September in 2016 and 2017. The results revealed that the Chinese brown frog preferred mid-and large-sized culverts as well as soil culverts. We concluded that culverts with a side length ≥ 1 m, lined with soil, and accompanied by a ≥ 0.4 m high guide drift fence and ≤ 45° gradient on the roadside ditch wall would best facilitate road crossings for both species and likely for other amphibian species in Northeast China.展开更多
Understanding vertebrate habitat relationships is important to promote management strategies for the longterm conservation of many species. Using a modified drift fence method, we sampled reptiles and compared habitat...Understanding vertebrate habitat relationships is important to promote management strategies for the longterm conservation of many species. Using a modified drift fence method, we sampled reptiles and compared habitat variables within the William B. Bankhead National Forest （BNF） in Alabama, U.S.A from April 2005 to June 2006. We captured 226 individual reptiles representing 19 species during 564 total trap nights. We used canonical correspondence analysis to examine habitat associations for the reptiles sampled and we detected a distinct habitat gradient ranging from sites with greater litter depth and percent canopy cover to more open sites with greater woody, herbaceous, and coarse woody debris （CWD） coverage, and CWD volume. Little brown skinks Scincella lateralis and eastern worm snakes Carphophis a. arnoenus were associated with sites with greater litter depth and canopy cover, whereas eastern fence lizards Sceloporus undulatus, copperheads Agkistrodon contortrix, and gray ratsnakes Pantherophis spiloides were associated with sites possessing greater CWD coverage and volume. We found that disturbances due to the southern pine beetle Dendroctonus frontalis were likely important for influencing reptile distributions through the creation of canopy gaps and fallen coarse woody debris. Compared to other studies, our modified drift-fence trap technique was successful for sampling larger snake species （66 snakes in 564 trap nights）. We have also provided detailed schematics for constructing drift fence array and box traps used in this study展开更多
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51508250)the Science and Technology Project of Department of Transportation of Jilin Province (Grant No. 2018-1-14)+1 种基金the Basic Research Program of the Centric Level, Scientific Research Institutes (Grant No. 20180615)the World Wild Fund for Nature Project (Grant No. P03516)
文摘Road traffic is the main factor causing the decline in amphibian populations worldwide. The proper design of an amphibian tunnel is one of the most efficient measures to mitigate the negative impacts of road traffic on amphibians. However, no study has investigated the effectiveness of amphibian tunnels under semi-controlled conditions in Asian amphibians. Here, we selected two representative amphibian species, the Chinese brown frog, Rana chensinensis, and the Asiatic toad, Bufo gargarizans, which suffer the most severe road mortality along the roads in Northeast China. We placed experimental arrays of culverts of various sizes(diameters of 1.5, 1, and 0.5 m for circular culverts; side lengths of 1.5, 1, and 0.5 m for box culverts), and substrate type(soil, concrete, and metal) to examine the preferences of both species during the migratory season between May and September in 2016 and 2017. The results revealed that the Chinese brown frog preferred mid-and large-sized culverts as well as soil culverts. We concluded that culverts with a side length ≥ 1 m, lined with soil, and accompanied by a ≥ 0.4 m high guide drift fence and ≤ 45° gradient on the roadside ditch wall would best facilitate road crossings for both species and likely for other amphibian species in Northeast China.
基金provided by the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Stationthe National Science Foundation
文摘Understanding vertebrate habitat relationships is important to promote management strategies for the longterm conservation of many species. Using a modified drift fence method, we sampled reptiles and compared habitat variables within the William B. Bankhead National Forest （BNF） in Alabama, U.S.A from April 2005 to June 2006. We captured 226 individual reptiles representing 19 species during 564 total trap nights. We used canonical correspondence analysis to examine habitat associations for the reptiles sampled and we detected a distinct habitat gradient ranging from sites with greater litter depth and percent canopy cover to more open sites with greater woody, herbaceous, and coarse woody debris （CWD） coverage, and CWD volume. Little brown skinks Scincella lateralis and eastern worm snakes Carphophis a. arnoenus were associated with sites with greater litter depth and canopy cover, whereas eastern fence lizards Sceloporus undulatus, copperheads Agkistrodon contortrix, and gray ratsnakes Pantherophis spiloides were associated with sites possessing greater CWD coverage and volume. We found that disturbances due to the southern pine beetle Dendroctonus frontalis were likely important for influencing reptile distributions through the creation of canopy gaps and fallen coarse woody debris. Compared to other studies, our modified drift-fence trap technique was successful for sampling larger snake species （66 snakes in 564 trap nights）. We have also provided detailed schematics for constructing drift fence array and box traps used in this study
