Roads and traffic impacts on wildlife populations are well documented. Three major mechanisms can cause them: reduced connectivity, increased mortality and reduced habitat quality. Researchers commonly recommend mitigation based on the mechanism they deem responsible. We reviewed the 2012–2016 literature to evaluate authors' inferences, to determine whether they explicitly acknowledge all possible mechanisms that are consistent with their results. We found 327 negative responses of wildlife to roads, from 307 studies. While most (84%) of these responses were consistent with multiple mechanisms, 60% of authors invoked a single mechanism. This indicates that many authors are over-confident in their inferences, and that the literature does not allow estimation of the relative importance of the mechanisms. We found preferences in authors' discussion of mechanisms. When all three mechanisms were consistent with the response measured, authors were 2.4 and 2.9 times as likely to infer reduced habitat quality compared to reduced connectivity or increased mortality, respectively. When both reduced connectivity and increased mortality were consistent with the response measured, authors were 5.2 times as likely to infer reduced connectivity compared to increased mortality. Given these results, road ecologists and managers are likely over-recommending mitigation for improving habitat quality and connectivity, and under-recommending measures to reduce road-kill.

道路和交通对野生动物种群的影响有据可查。三种主要机制可能导致它们：连通性降低、死亡率增加和栖息地质量下降。研究人员通常根据他们认为负责的机制建议缓解措施。我们回顾了 2012-2016 年的文献以评估作者的推论，以确定他们是否明确承认与其结果一致的所有可能机制。我们从 307 项研究中发现了 327 项野生动物对道路的负面反应。虽然这些反应中的大多数（84%）与多种机制一致，但 60% 的作者调用了单一机制。这表明许多作者对他们的推论过于自信，并且文献不允许估计机制的相对重要性。我们发现作者的偏好 机制的讨论。当所有三种机制都与测量的响应一致时，作者推断栖息地质量降低的可能性分别是连通性降低或死亡率增加的 2.4 倍和 2.9 倍。当连接性降低和死亡率增加与测量的反应一致时，作者推断连接性降低的可能性是死亡率增加的 5.2 倍。鉴于这些结果，道路生态学家和管理者可能会过度推荐缓解措施以改善栖息地质量和连通性，而建议采取措施减少道路死亡。分别。当连接性降低和死亡率增加与测量的反应一致时，作者推断连接性降低的可能性是死亡率增加的 5.2 倍。鉴于这些结果，道路生态学家和管理者可能会过度推荐缓解措施以改善栖息地质量和连通性，而建议采取措施减少道路死亡。分别。当连接性降低和死亡率增加与测量的反应一致时，作者推断连接性降低的可能性是死亡率增加的 5.2 倍。鉴于这些结果，道路生态学家和管理者可能会过度推荐缓解措施以改善栖息地质量和连通性，而建议采取措施减少道路死亡。