Temporal patterns of wildlife roadkill in the UK

PLoS One. 2021 Oct 6;16(10):e0258083. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258083. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Wildlife-vehicle collisions are one of the main causes of mortality for wild mammals and birds in the UK. Here, using a dataset of 54,000+ records collated by a citizen science roadkill recording scheme between 2014-2019, we analyse and present temporal patterns of wildlife roadkill of the 19 most commonly reported taxa in the UK (84% of all reported roadkill). Most taxa (13 out of 19) showed significant and consistent seasonal variations in road mortality and fitted one of two seasonal patterns; bimodal or unimodal: only three species (red fox Vulpes vulpes, European polecat Mustela putorius and Reeves' muntjac deer Muntiacus reevesi) showed no significant seasonality. Species that increase movement in spring and autumn potentially have bimodal patterns in roadkill due to the increase in mate-searching and juvenile dispersal during these respective time periods (e.g. European badger Meles meles). Unimodal patterns likely represent increased mortality due to a single short pulse in activity associated with breeding (e.g. birds) or foraging (e.g. grey squirrels Sciurus carolinensis in autumn). Importantly, these patterns also indicate periods of increased risk for drivers, potentially posing a greater threat to human welfare. In addition to behaviour-driven annual patterns, abiotic factors (temperature and rainfall) explained some variance in roadkill. Notably, high rainfall was associated with decreased observations of two bird taxa (gulls and Eurasian magpies Pica pica) and European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus. By quantifying seasonal patterns in roadkill, we highlight a significant anthropogenic impact on wild species, which is important in relation to conservation, animal welfare, and human safety.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Accidents, Traffic / prevention & control*
  • Animals
  • Animals, Wild / physiology*
  • Deer
  • Ecosystem*
  • Female
  • Foxes / physiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Rabbits
  • Reproduction / physiology*
  • Seasons
  • United Kingdom / epidemiology

Grants and funding

Amy Schwartz was funded by a Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS), supported by European Social Funds (ESF) through the Welsh Government. Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships (KESS) is a pan-Wales higher level skills initiative, led by Bangor University on behalf of the HE sector in Wales. It is part funded by the Welsh Government’s European Social Fund (ESF) convergence programme for West Wales and the Valleys. Amy Schwartz’s studentship was co-funded by KESS partner company Eco-Explore (http://www.eco-explore.co.uk/). Sarah Raymond was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council through the GW4+ Doctoral Training Partnership [NE/S007504/1]. Sarah’s studentship is co-funded by Animex Fencing (https://animexfencing.com/). Role of Funder Statement The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.