Roads have numerous direct and indirect ecological impacts on wildlife. Vehicle collisions are a top impact of roads on birds, with tens of millions of birds thought to be killed each year in the United States. However, currently available mortality estimates are extrapolated from a single study. We reviewed the literature and used 20 mortality rates extracted from 13 studies to systematically quantify data-driven estimates of annual U.S. mortality from bird-vehicle collisions. We generated 4 separate estimates along with uncertainty using different subsets of data deemed to be rigorous enough to contribute relatively little bias to estimates. All of our estimates of vehicle mortality are higher than previous U.S. figures. When averaging across model iterations, we estimated that between 89 and 340 million birds die annually from vehicle collisions on U.S. roads. Sensitivity analyses indicated that uncertainty about survey-related biases (scavenger removal and searcher detection of carcasses) contributes the greatest amount of uncertainty to our mortality estimates. Future studies should account for these biases to provide more accurate local estimates of mortality rates and to inform more precise national mortality estimates. We found relatively little information available to quantify regional, seasonal, and taxonomic patterns of vehicle collision risk, and substantial uncertainty remains about whether collisions contribute to large-scale impacts on bird populations. Nonetheless, the large magnitude of bird mortality caused by vehicle collisions combined with evidence that collisions can contribute to local population declines for some species highlights the need for implementation of conservation and management actions to reduce this mortality. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

https://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/pdf/management/lossetal2014birdvehiclecollisions.pdf

Estimation of Bird-Vehicle Collision Mortality on U.S. Roads

In the last few decades, mounting evidence points to a negative impact of roads on several groups of animals. Most studies on the effects of roads on animal populations concentrate on vertebrates, and only a few on insects. It is difficult to determine the real effects of roads on insects due to the variety of methods used. We review recent literature examining the ecological impact of roads on insects. The objectives of our synthesis are to gain insight into the effects of the construction and operation of a road on insect groups, and to determine the gaps of knowledge. We found that roads negatively affect the abundance and diversity of insects due to two main factors: (1) the high mortality of some groups when crossing the road, with more impact at higher traffic volumes. (2) The unwillingness of many species to cross a road or live close to it. Roads are major barriers for small or flightless species, although the response varied for flying species. Finally, both experimental and observational evidence support the idea that air pollutants and de-icing salt used for the road maintenance negatively affect insects.

Effects of roads on insects: a review

The phylogeography of species associated with European steppes and extrazonal xeric grasslands is poorly understood. This paper summarizes the results of recent studies on the phylogeography and conservation genetics of animals (20 taxa of beetles, butterflies, reptiles and rodents) and flowering plants (18 taxa) of such, "steppic" habitats in Eastern Central Europe. Most species show a similar phylogeographic pattern: relatively high genetic similarity within regional groups of populations and moderate-to-high genetic distinctiveness of populations from currently isolated regions located in the studied area. This distinctiveness of populations suggests a survival here during glacial maxima, including areas north of the Bohemian Massif-Carpathians arc. Steppic species generally do not follow the paradigmatic patterns known for temperate biota (south-north “contraction–expansion”), but to some extent are similar to those of arctic-alpine taxa. There are three main groups of taxa within Eastern Central Europe that differ in their contemporary distribution pattern, which may reflect historical origin and expansion routes. Present diversity patterns of the studied steppic species suggest that they share a unique genetic signature and distinct assemblages exist in each of the now isolated areas rich in steppic habitats. At least some of these areas probably act as present “interglacial refugia” for steppic species. This study strongly supports the need to protect steppic species throughout their entire ranges in the region, as the continuous destruction of steppic habitats in some areas may lead not only to the disappearance of local populations, but also to the extinction of unique evolutionary units.

/pdf/phylogeographic-patterns-of-steppe-species-in-eastern-1hcw91nizq.pdf

Phylogeographic patterns of steppe species in Eastern Central Europe: a review and the implications for conservation

Despite expanding road networks, there is limited understanding of the effects of roads on wildlife in East Africa. We present a baseline survey and describe the patterns of roadkill in the Tarangire–Manyara ecosystem of Tanzania. A 75 km stretch of the Arusha Highway that passes adjacent to Manyara Ranch and Lake Manyara National Park was studied for 10 consecutive days in November 2013 (the rainy season). Wildlife species killed on the road, roadkill frequency and road characteristics were determined. A total of 101 roadkill were recorded (0.13 roadkill km−1) comprising 37 species from all terrestrial vertebrate groups, of which two species, house cat (Felis catus) and domestic dog (Canis lupus), were domesticated species. Birds were the most frequently killed taxon (50%), followed by mammals (30%), reptiles (17%) and amphibians (3%). Excluding birds, roadkill primarily consisted of nocturnal species (65%) versus diurnal species (35%). Most roadkill (77.3%) were encountered on road stretches adjacent to...

https://bioone.org/journals/african-zoology/volume-50/issue-1/15627020.2015.1021161/Wildlife-Roadkill-Patterns-on-a-Major-Highway-in-Northern-Tanzania/10.1080/15627020.2015.1021161.pdf

Wildlife roadkill patterns on a major highway in northern Tanzania

The degree of host specificity, its phylogenetic conservativeness and origin are virtually unknown in Eimeria. This situation is largely due to the inadequate sample of eimerian molecular data available for reliable phylogenetic analyses. In this study, we extend the data set by adding 71 new sequences of coccidia infecting 16 small-mammal genera, mostly rodents. According to the respective feasibility of PCR gene amplification, the new samples are represented by one or more of the following genes: nuclear 18S rRNA, plastid ORF 470, and mitochondrial COI. Phylogenetic analyses of these sequences confirm the previous hypothesis that Eimeria, in its current morphology-based delimitation, is not a monophyletic group. Several samples of coccidia corresponding morphologically to other genera are scattered among the Eimeria lineages. More importantly, the distribution of eimerians from different hosts indicates that the clustering of eimerian species is influenced by their host specificity, but does not arise from a cophylogenetic/cospeciation process; while several clusters are specific to a particular host group, inner topologies within these clusters do not reflect host phylogeny. This observation suggests that the host specificity of Eimeria is caused by adaptive rather than cophylogenetic processes.

/pdf/host-parasite-incongruences-in-rodent-eimeria-suggest-4gr8ee73n3.pdf

Host-parasite incongruences in rodent Eimeria suggest significant role of adaptation rather than cophylogeny in maintenance of host specificity.

The theory of classical and cryptic Pleistocene refugia is based mainly on historical changes in temperature, and the refugia are usually defined within a latitudinal gradient. However, the gradient of oceanic-continental climate (i.e. longitudinal) was also significantly variable during glacial cycles with important biotic consequences. Range-wide phylogeography of the European ground squirrel (EGS) was used to interpret the evolutionary and palaeogeographical history of the species in Europe and to shed light on its glacial-interglacial dynamic. The EGS is a steppe-inhabiting species and the westernmost member of the genus in the Palaearctic region. We have analysed 915 specimens throughout the present natural range by employing mitochondrial DNA sequences (cytochrome b gene) and 12 nuclear microsatellite markers. The reconstructed phylogeography divides the species into two main geographical groups, with deep substructuring within both groups. Bulgaria is the centre of the ancestral area, and it also has the highest genetic diversity within the species. The northernmost group of the EGS survived in the southern part of Pannonia throughout several glacial-interglacial cycles. Animals from this population probably repeatedly colonized areas further to the north and west during the glacial periods, while in the interglacial periods, the EGS distribution contracted back to this Pannonian refugium. The EGS thus represents a species with a glacial expansion/interglacial contraction palaeogeographical dynamics, and the Pannonian and southeastern Balkanian steppes are supported as cryptic refugia of continental climate during Pleistocene interglacials.

Multilocus phylogeography of the European ground squirrel: cryptic interglacial refugia of continental climate in Europe.

The study explores the mortality of birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals causes of traffic on Tra- kia highway (the section is 68 km long) and one control road section: first-class road (the section is 58 km long) between Pazardzhik and Plovdiv. To observe the number of killed amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals on the highway 11 one-kilometer transects were chosen and on the control section - 10 transects. They were visited for overall 20 days in seven months. During the visiting of transects was reg- istered every animal, the species, sex and age (if possible) and also the exact distance from the end of the road at which the individual was found. In total, 756 corpses of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals were found. The results from this one-year study show that the amphibians are most affected from the traf- fic on the two types of roads between Pazardzhik and Plovdiv, but if we exclude the migration of Marsh Frog, the most affected groups are birds and mammals. From all killed animals, 67.2% were amphibians, 15.7% birds, 9.2% mammals and 7.8% reptiles. Difference of animal mortality between Trakia highway and the first-class road between Pazardzhik and Plovdiv was found. On the highway the most abundant group of killed animals are birds and on first-class road are amphibians and reptiles. The highest casual- ties occurred in September - 92 individuals and the numerous killed individuals are adults (without the masking effect of migration of Marsh Frog). Overall 36 killed animals per 1 km were found. The largest number of killed animals was found on the roadway (44%).

http://www.ecolab.bas.bg/main/Members/nevena/Kambourova_Effect_mortality.pdf

Effect of Traffic on Mortality of Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals on Two Types of Roads Between Pazardzhik and Plovdiv Region (Bulgaria) - Preliminary Results

The structure and variability of alarm call of European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus L. 1766) from two populations in West Bulgaria are studied. The registered alarm calls may consist of two separated phases: at 8 kHz and 12 kHz respectively. Both phases can be fused or emitted continuously with maximum interval of 32.90 ms between them: probably they are produced by two independent acoustic sources. A phenomenon of concentration of the maximum energy of the call in the second harmonic is observed. The durations of the phases have high degree of variation, but the total length of the call in the studied populations has similar values. The total duration of alarm call is more than 100 ms, while the maximum registered value can exceed twice the minimum. The frequency characteristics (highest, lowest frequency and frequency with most energy of both phases) have low degree of variability and they clearly and statistically significantly distinguish the studied populations.

Structure and Variability of Alarm Calls of European Ground Squirrel Spermophilus citellus L. 1766 (Mammalia: Rodentia) from Western Bulgaria

During field surveys for small mammals in Bulgaria we found specimens of Crocidura leucodon, Talpa europaea and a Mus sp with color variation. We reviewed the national scientific collections and the available literature for cases of small mammals with color variations. Color variation in small mammals is very rare, so far we found nine cases only, five cases of T. europaea and one case each of C. leucodon, C. suveolens, Sorex araneus and Mus sp. The albino C. leucodon is one out of 143 white-toothed shrews (Crocudra sp.) or 0.69%. The form of the partialy leucistic Mus sp. is one out of 633 mice (0.15%), caught between 2001 and 2007.

Color variation of small mammals's (Mammalia: Rodentia and Insectivora) coats from Bulgaria

The European ground squirrel (Spermophiluscitellus) is a vulnerable species (IUCN) living in open habitats of Central and South-eastern Europe. Translocations (introductions, reintroductions and reinforcements) are commonly used as part of the European ground squirrel (EGS) conservation. There are numerous publications for such activities carried out in Central Europe, but data from South-eastern Europe, where translocations have also been implemented, are still scarce.\n The present study summarises the methodologies used in the translocations in Bulgaria and analyses the factors impacting their success. Eight translocations of more than 1730 individuals were performed in the period 2010 to 2018. These included 4 reinforcements, 3 reintroductions and 1 introduction. Two of the translocations are still ongoing. Five of the completed six (83%) translocations were successful, although in two cases the number of individuals was critically low. The relatively higher success in Bulgaria than in Central Europe is probably due to using the gained experience. Most of the translocations (6) used a soft release approach. In 6 cases, the animals settled 100 to 720 metres away from the release site, implying management and protection of suitable habitat beyond the translocation area. In 7 of the translocations, the altitude between the donor colony and the release site varied from 470 to 1320 m which could have a hindering effect on the adaptation of animals due to the specific conditions in the mountains. The main reasons for failure are probably poorly selected and maintained habitats and bad climatic conditions (rainy and cool weather) during the translocation action. European funds are of critical importance for translocations, with only two translocations funded by other sources. Based on the gathered data, the current paper also gives some recommendations for improvement in translocation activities.

https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/30911/download/pdf/

Yordan Koshev

Papers

Multilocus phylogeography of the European ground squirrel: cryptic interglacial refugia of continental climate in Europe.

Effect of Traffic on Mortality of Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals on Two Types of Roads Between Pazardzhik and Plovdiv Region (Bulgaria) - Preliminary Results

Structure and Variability of Alarm Calls of European Ground Squirrel Spermophilus citellus L. 1766 (Mammalia: Rodentia) from Western Bulgaria

Color variation of small mammals's (Mammalia: Rodentia and Insectivora) coats from Bulgaria

Translocations of European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus) along altitudinal gradient in Bulgaria – an overview