关键词: 关键词：动物路杀, 鸟类, 哺乳动物, 影响因素

Abstract

Aims:With the rapid expansion of road networks, the conflict between transportation development and ecological conservation has become increasingly prominent, garnering significant attention from ecologists. Research on road ecology has indicated that roads can fragment animal habitats, reduce connectivity between populations, and severely impact biodiversity. Among these impacts, animal vehicle collisions (i.e., roadkill) represent the most direct and significant threat to wildlife.

Methods: This research investigated the incidence of animal vehicle collisions in Nanjing, a mega city in East China. From November 2020 to October 2021, transect survey method was employed to investigate roadkill incidents across roads of different administrative levels in Nanjing. Regression analysis was used to explore the probability of roadkill incidents, and models were established to further clarify the impact of roads and surrounding environmental factors on the probability of animal roadkill.

Results: Our findings revealed that: (1) A total of 293 roadkill incidents involving 21 species were recorded during the survey period. Mammals accounted for 46.42% of the incidents, with cats (Felis catus) and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) being the most common, while birds accounted for 48.81%, with the Chinese Blackbird (Turdus mandarinus) and Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) being predominant. (2) The proportion of arable land (dryland and irrigated farmland) and buildings (buildings and structures) in natural landscape significantly influenced the probability of roadkill incidents. Specifically, within a 250 m radius around the road, the coverage proportion of arable land and buildings was significantly negatively correlated with the occurrence probability of roadkill incidents. As cultivated land coverage increased, the probability of roadkill of birds decreased, while the probability of mammals’ roadkill increased, showed completely opposite trends. (3) The road characteristic affected the probability of animal vehicle collisions; roads with isolation belts were associated with an increased probability of roadkill incidents. (4) Linear features (distance to the nearest river, the nearest viaduct and the nearest main road) also affected the incidence of bird’s roadkill events. Birds had fewer vehicle collisions the farther they were from rivers, but more collisions while the farther they were from viaducts and main roads.

Key words: Key words: animal-vehicle collisions, birds, mammals, influence factors