ABSTRACT

Wildlife–vehicle collisions are a serious conservation issue. In Argentina, wildlife road kill represents a threat to numerous species, especially around protected areas. With the aim of analyzing a possible seasonal and spatial patterns of mammalian death due to road kill, I sampled 97 km of the RP No. 17 in the south of multiple-use natural protected area ‘Bañados del Río Dulce y Laguna Mar Chiquita’ in Cordoba Province, Argentina. I analyzed the frequencies and density of road kill in winter 2015, spring 2015, and summer 2015/2016. The Kilometric Index of Abundance was used to identify the road stretches with elevated road kill. I recorded a total of 190 individuals representing 13 species. Of the mammalian species that inhabit the study area, more than 80% were affected by vehicle collisions. Three critical road stretches were identified. Mammalian mortality suggests a reduction of 42.36% between winter and spring. Lycalopex gymnocercus was the species with a statistically significant reduction (Mann–Whitney U, p = <0.03) in its road kill. Seasonal differences in mammalian mortality were likely due to seasonally variable behavior, abundances, and reproductive activity. This study provides to wildlife managers an opportunity to direct mitigation measures to reduce mammalian road kill.

摘要

野生动物与车辆相撞是一个严重的保护问题。在阿根廷，野生动物的道路杀戮对许多物种构成威胁，尤其是在保护区周围。为了分析因道路交通事故导致的哺乳动物死亡的可能季节性和空间模式，我在多用途自然保护区“Bañados del Río Dulce y Laguna Mar Chiquita”南部对 RP No. 17 的 97 公里进行了采样阿根廷科尔多瓦省。我分析了 2015 年冬季、2015 年春季和 2015/2016 年夏季道路交通事故发生的频率和密度。公里丰度指数用于识别具有高架道路杀伤力的道路延伸。我总共记录了代表 13 个物种的 190 个个体。在居住在研究区域的哺乳动物物种中，超过 80% 受到车辆碰撞的影响。确定了三个关键路段。Lycalopex gymnocercus是其路杀率显着降低（Mann-Whitney U，p = <0.03）的物种。哺乳动物死亡率的季节性差异可能是由于季节性变化的行为、数量和繁殖活动造成的。这项研究为野生动物管理者提供了一个机会，可以直接采取缓解措施来减少哺乳动物的道路杀戮。