Use of non-wildlife passages across a high speed railway by terrestrial vertebrates.

Wild ungulates (Cervus elaphus, Capreolus capreolus, Sus scrofa) strongly avoided the vicinity of a newly built, side-fenced high-speed railway in an quiet mountainous area. These species also refused to use underpasses and flyovers large enough for their body size. The railway likely reduced the movement of wild ungulates, and passages specifically designed for this group are needed to avoid the barrier effect. The response of other terrestrial vertebrate groups (carnivores, lagomorphs, small mammals, and reptiles) to the railway was unknown but all of them used regularly culverts and pathway passages, suggesting that possible barrier effects exerted by the infrastructure might be highly reduced. Crossing rates of these vertebrate groups through non-wildlife passages were not altered by fencing the railway sides, further indicating that there was not an important barrier effect. Success of passages as crossing facilities for vertebrates depends mainly on their location in the suitable habitat of target species and then on appropriate design of passages and surrounding areas. The frequency of usage of different passages also reflected microhabitat preferences. The use of culverts, underpasses and flyovers by carnivores was favoured by the presence of vegetation cover in their entrances. Small mammals preferred culverts with small cross-sections, probably because they can move through them protected from aerial predators. Reptiles used mainly underpasses of intermediate size which allow them to thermoregulate by using vertical surfaces, either sun-warmed or shaded. Palabras clave: Avoidance, Barrier, Culvert, Deer, Fauna passage, Fence, Habitat, High-speed railway line, Mammal, Overpass, Reptile, Underpass, Ungulate, Vegetation, Vertebrate

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Rodríguez A. Crema G. y Delibes M. Use of non-wildlife passages across a high speed railway by terrestrial vertebrates. British Ecological Society, 1996. https://doi.org/10.2307/2404791

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Fecha de creación 23-05-2025
Fecha de última modificación 23-05-2025
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Identificador de los metadatos 456b56e5-a728-5603-9fc2-81ff1f73cf44
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Categoría temática ISO 19115 biota
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Nombre del autor Rodríguez, A., Crema, G. y Delibes, M.
Nombre del editor British Ecological Society
Identificador alternativo DOI: 10.2307/2404791
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