Railway mortality for several mammal species increases with train speed, proximity to water, and track curvature

Abstract Railways are a major source of direct mortality for many populations of large mammals, but they have been less studied or mitigated than roads. We evaluated temporal and spatial factors affecting mortality risk using 646 railway mortality incidents for 11 mammal species collected over 24 ye...

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Autores principales:	Colleen Cassady St. Clair, Jesse Whittington, Anne Forshner, Aditya Gangadharan, David N. Laskin
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2020
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/652c5c0b1c964081af62d7e4069eee68
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:652c5c0b1c964081af62d7e4069eee682021-12-02T11:42:13ZRailway mortality for several mammal species increases with train speed, proximity to water, and track curvature10.1038/s41598-020-77321-62045-2322https://doaj.org/article/652c5c0b1c964081af62d7e4069eee682020-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77321-6https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Railways are a major source of direct mortality for many populations of large mammals, but they have been less studied or mitigated than roads. We evaluated temporal and spatial factors affecting mortality risk using 646 railway mortality incidents for 11 mammal species collected over 24 years throughout Banff and Yoho National Parks, Canada. We divided species into three guilds (bears, other carnivores, and ungulates), compared site attributes of topography, land cover, and train operation between mortality and paired random locations at four spatial scales, and described temporal patterns or mortality. Mortality risk increased across multiple guilds and spatial scales with maximum train speed and higher track curvature, both suggesting problems with train detection, and in areas with high proximity to and amount of water, both suggesting limitations to animal movement. Mortality risk was also correlated, but more varied among guilds and spatial scales, with shrub cover, topographic complexity, and proximity to sidings and roads. Seasonally, mortality rates were highest in winter for ungulates and other carnivores, and in late spring for bears, respectively. Our results suggest that effective mitigation could address train speed or detectability by wildlife, especially at sites with high track curvature that are near water or attractive habitat.Colleen Cassady St. ClairJesse WhittingtonAnne ForshnerAditya GangadharanDavid N. LaskinNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2020)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Colleen Cassady St. Clair Jesse Whittington Anne Forshner Aditya Gangadharan David N. Laskin Railway mortality for several mammal species increases with train speed, proximity to water, and track curvature
description	Abstract Railways are a major source of direct mortality for many populations of large mammals, but they have been less studied or mitigated than roads. We evaluated temporal and spatial factors affecting mortality risk using 646 railway mortality incidents for 11 mammal species collected over 24 years throughout Banff and Yoho National Parks, Canada. We divided species into three guilds (bears, other carnivores, and ungulates), compared site attributes of topography, land cover, and train operation between mortality and paired random locations at four spatial scales, and described temporal patterns or mortality. Mortality risk increased across multiple guilds and spatial scales with maximum train speed and higher track curvature, both suggesting problems with train detection, and in areas with high proximity to and amount of water, both suggesting limitations to animal movement. Mortality risk was also correlated, but more varied among guilds and spatial scales, with shrub cover, topographic complexity, and proximity to sidings and roads. Seasonally, mortality rates were highest in winter for ungulates and other carnivores, and in late spring for bears, respectively. Our results suggest that effective mitigation could address train speed or detectability by wildlife, especially at sites with high track curvature that are near water or attractive habitat.
format	article
author	Colleen Cassady St. Clair Jesse Whittington Anne Forshner Aditya Gangadharan David N. Laskin
author_facet	Colleen Cassady St. Clair Jesse Whittington Anne Forshner Aditya Gangadharan David N. Laskin
author_sort	Colleen Cassady St. Clair
title	Railway mortality for several mammal species increases with train speed, proximity to water, and track curvature
title_short	Railway mortality for several mammal species increases with train speed, proximity to water, and track curvature
title_full	Railway mortality for several mammal species increases with train speed, proximity to water, and track curvature
title_fullStr	Railway mortality for several mammal species increases with train speed, proximity to water, and track curvature
title_full_unstemmed	Railway mortality for several mammal species increases with train speed, proximity to water, and track curvature
title_sort	railway mortality for several mammal species increases with train speed, proximity to water, and track curvature
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2020
url	https://doaj.org/article/652c5c0b1c964081af62d7e4069eee68
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Railway mortality for several mammal species increases with train speed, proximity to water, and track curvature

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