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Highway verges as habitat providers for small mammals in agrosilvopastoral environments

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Abstract

The Mediterranean Basin has an important conservation value given its high biodiversity and high number of endemic species, which have co-existed with human traditional practices for centuries. However, northern areas as the Iberian Peninsula have experienced intensification in livestock production in recent past, with consequent reduction in habitat quality. In this study we assessed the importance of fenced highway verges as habitat for small mammals in Mediterranean agrosilvopastoral landscapes. More specifically, we compared small mammal abundance between highway verges and the adjacent two main land uses (“montado” and open areas); compared the vegetative structure among these land uses; and addressed how vegetation structure influences species occupancy. Thirty-six sites were sampled in agrosilvopastoral system areas in southern Portugal (sampling effort 8,840 trap-nights). A total of 351 individuals from target species were captured: 157 wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), 95 western Mediterranean mice (Mus spretus) and 99 greater white-toothed shrews (Crocidura russula). Capture–mark–recapture analyses were performed to estimate population size. Our data suggests that fenced highway verges promote better vegetative structure conditions which in turn favor a higher animal abundance therein. We suggest the adoption of management practices to increase the height and cover of herbaceous and shrub layers in road verges, together with creating grazing controlled areas in highway vicinity, particularly in “montado” patches, linked by vegetated linear features. This would increase habitat and refuge for a large numbers of species, including small mammals, and thus benefiting the trophic chain and the whole agrosilvopastoral system.

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Acknowledgments

This study was conducted in the framework of a research project under a protocol between BRISA Auto-Estradas de Portugal S. A. and Centro de Biologia Ambiental (BRISA-CBA 2007–2010—“Eficácia de medidas de minimização dos efeitos negativos das auto-estradas”). Funding was provided by BRISA and Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia with a PhD Grant (F. Ascensão SFRH/BD/38053/2007) and a Pos-doc Grant (C. Grilo SFRH/BPD/64205/2009). Special thanks are due to Maria Luz Mathias and Carnivora association for providing us additional the Sherman traps; Dulce Ferreira, Hany Alonso, João and Erasmus students Gabi and Zita for the help in collecting data; and John A. Bissonette and two anonymous reviewers for comments on a previous version of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Universidade de Lisboa, Edifício C2-5°, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

    Fernando Ascensão, Clara Grilo, Joel Filipe & Margarida Santos-Reis

  2. Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University, P.O. Box 174250, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA

    Fernando Ascensão & Anthony P Clevenger

  3. Departamento de Biología de la Conservación, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Calle Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Seville, Spain

    Clara Grilo

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  1. Fernando Ascensão
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  2. Anthony P Clevenger
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  3. Clara Grilo
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  4. Joel Filipe
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  5. Margarida Santos-Reis
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Correspondence to Fernando Ascensão.

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Ascensão, F., Clevenger, A.P., Grilo, C. et al. Highway verges as habitat providers for small mammals in agrosilvopastoral environments. Biodivers Conserv 21, 3681–3697 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-012-0390-3

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