Vertebrate roadkills in a secondary road in Costa Rica
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22458/urj.v3i1.209Keywords:
Road ecology, roadkills, secondary road, flat fauna, Costa Rica.Abstract
Roads have been one of the most significant anthropological changes in natural landscapes. Their effects are much more visible and strong in animal populations, which suffer from loss of connectivity, home range and habitat, and loss of individuals from roadkills, which is the most visible and easy to measure effect. From May 24 through July 28, 2010, I recorded all roadkills three times a week in a segment of 850 meters of a secondary road, in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. Nine animals were killed when the number of vehicles in the road was lower, compared with three when the number of vehicles increased. This negative correlation (r = –0,545) was unexpected. The most affected taxonomic group was the Bufonidae (Amphibia), with 5 roadkills.
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