Biogeography and predictors of wildlife killed on roads at peninsular Florida State Parks

Abstract

Abstract Wildlife‐vehicle collisions (WVCs) are a major source of wildlife mortality and should affect regional wildlife diversity and abundance, yet most WVC studies are locally scaled. Here, we evaluated biogeographic diversity (i.e., species richness, effective diversity) and abundance of WVCs at state parks across the Florida peninsula to answer two questions aimed to help inform wildlife conservation efforts: which parks have greatest WVC diversity, and why? We processed and compiled 9,254 WVC survey records collected by Florida State Parks personnel at 42 parks during a decade (2005–2015). Data for birds (138 species), mammals (35 species), reptiles (64 species), and all taxa combined were analyzed for patterns among parks (for the first question) and for biogeographic, climatic, ecoregion, and anthropogenic predictors of those patterns (for the second). Predictors represented nonexclusive alternative a priori hypotheses and were evaluated by model comparison. Parks differed widely in WVC diversity and abundance; we identify “hot spot” parks where management may most effectively reduce WVCs. Biogeographic and anthropogenic hypotheses were supported, but climatic and ecoregion hypotheses were not. Models for overall diversity fit data better (R2s > 0.50) than did models for specific taxa (e.g., birds). Larger parks closer to Florida's highly populated Atlantic Coast and with greater park attendance and perhaps faster speeds on adjacent roads have more WVC diversity and numbers. Of these predictors, attendance and speed limits are manageable. Traffic management in and near‐identified “hot spot” parks in Florida can most effectively reduce WVC effects on wildlife populations and diversity amidst a growing human population.

Keywords

• abundance
• bird
• diversity
• mammal
• regional
• reptile