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
In this study, the shallow dish cross-section roadside ditch was designed, based on highway 304 line from Yanchi to Hongjing of Ningxia Province. The hy- draulic calculation of the shallow ditch obtained the correspon...In this study, the shallow dish cross-section roadside ditch was designed, based on highway 304 line from Yanchi to Hongjing of Ningxia Province. The hy- draulic calculation of the shallow ditch obtained the corresponding water outlet dis- tance of the ditch with the width of 1.5 m or 2 m suitable for local use under dif- ferent groove longitudinal slope conditions. And the key roadside ditch construction techniques and suitable grass species were introduced.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Supported by the Science and Technology Project of the Communication and Transportation Construction~~
文摘In this study, the shallow dish cross-section roadside ditch was designed, based on highway 304 line from Yanchi to Hongjing of Ningxia Province. The hy- draulic calculation of the shallow ditch obtained the corresponding water outlet dis- tance of the ditch with the width of 1.5 m or 2 m suitable for local use under dif- ferent groove longitudinal slope conditions. And the key roadside ditch construction techniques and suitable grass species were introduced.
