SREL Reprint #3091

Ecological Effects of Roads on Amphibians and Reptiles: A Literature Review

Kimberly M. Andrews1, J. Whitfield Gibbons1, and Denim M. Jochimsen2

1Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, South Carolina 29802, USA
2Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho 83209, USA

Abstract: Roads are the ultimate manifestation of urbanization, providing an essential connectivity within and between rural and heavily populated areas. The ecological impacts roads have on herpetofauna across temporal and spatial scales are profound, beginning during the early stages of construction and progressing through to completion and daily use. We provide examples of physiological, ecological, and behavioral traits inherent among herpetofauna that enhance their susceptibility to habitat alterations and environmental changes that can result from the development as well as use of roads. We emphasize areas in which impacts on herpetofauna have not yet been documented, but are likely. We also identify potential threats to amphibians and reptiles by noting and discussing previous research in road ecology that is applicable. The most obvious impacts of roads are direct effects, which result in injury or death as a consequence of road construction followed by on-road mortality (roadkills) from contact with vehicles. In addition to the more measurable direct effects, road impacts are compounded further by a variety of indirect effects of roads on herpetofauna that can be pervasive through habitat fragmentation and alteration that extend to population and community level impacts. By identifying herpetofaunal susceptibilities and providing concrete examples of road impacts, we offer an ecological framework that can serve to suggest research questions and encourage investigators to pursue goals that relate to both direct and indirect effects of road development and subsequent urbanization on herpetofauna. Lastly, we present current and possible approaches for resolving and preventing conflicts between wildlife and roads.

Keywords: amphibian, community, education, fragmentation, highway, mitigation, mortality, population, reptile, roads, urban

SREL Reprint #3091

Andrews, K. M., J. W. Gibbons, and D. M. Jochimsen. 2008. Ecological Effects of Roads on Amphibians and Reptiles: A Literature Review. In: J. C. Mitchell, R. E. Jung Brown, and B. Bartholomew (Eds.). Urban Herpetology. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Conservation Number 3: 121-143.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).