EFFECTS OF ROADS ON SPATIAL BEHAVIOR AND ABUNDANCE OF SMALL MAMMALS: GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE

Resumo

The main goal of this study was to perform an update of the knowledge on the spatial behavior and abundance of small mammals in the roads vicinity through a complete review of the studies performed so far in order to identify gaps in knowledge. We also examined associations between spatial behavior and abundance of small mammals with biological and road-related factors to provide recommendations for future research. We found 40 papers documenting effects of roads on small mammals during 1974-2011, located mainly in North America, followed by Europe and Oceania. Results were obtained for 49 species in four mammalian orders. Although the response is species-specific, the diversity of behaviours towards roads within the same species found suggests that road features may play an important role on their response to roads rather than biological features. Road crossing rates seem to be affected by the type of pavement. We also observed a clear relationship between rodent abundance and herbs and shrubs, when the quality of the surrounding habitat was low. Our results imply that priority should be directed towards improving three key issues in knowledge: a) increase the range of species, mainly key species in conservation; b) examine the ability of dispersing juveniles to cross it and c) analyse the relationship between road-related features and how this can be translated in the degree of isolation.