Fewer frogs died by vehicles in the outset of the pandemic, study finds


Date:
October 13, 2021
Source:
University of Maine
Summary:
Researchers discovered that 50 percent fewer frogs died from vehicle
collisions in Maine in spring 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic
began, that during the season in other recent years. They also
found a broader decline in animal road fatalities in spring 2020,
but not noble change in vehicle-related mortality among salamanders.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Fewer frogs died from vehicle collisions in spring 2020, when the
COVID-19 pandemic began, than during the season in other recent years, according to a new study led by a University of Maine graduate student
and community science project coordinator.


========================================================================== Vehicles kill many adult frogs, salamanders and other amphibians that
cross roadways, particularly during their spring migrations. When traffic levels plummeted during the initial months of the pandemic, Greg LeClair decided to investigate how this slowdown in human activity would affect amphibian mortality.

LeClair, a UMaine master's student in ecology and environmental sciences,
used data he accumulated from hosting the annual springtime community
science project he founded called Maine Big Night: Amphibian Migration Monitoring.

Volunteers participating in the effort collect data on frogs and
salamanders that are crossing roads at sites across Maine from March 15
to May 15.

The team discovered that 50% fewer frogs died from vehicle collisions
in spring 2020 in Maine than during the same periods in 2018, 2019 and
2021. When comparing it to collision data for other species from the
Maine Department of Transportation, researchers identified a broader
decline in animal road fatalities in spring 2020 in the state, a similar finding exhibited in other studies worldwide.

Zach Wood, a postdoctoral research associate with the UMaine School of
Biology and Ecology, Matthew Chatfield, a UMaine assistant professor of evolution and eco-health; Jeffrey Parmelee, an evolutionary biologist and ecologist with the University of New England; and Cheryl Frederick, an
animal behaviorist with the Center for Wildlife Studies, all participated
in the study. They published their findings in the journal Conservation
Science and Practice.

"Meaningful impact to wildlife is well within reach of most people;
you just have to try to not drive on those warm rainy nights in spring," LeClair says.

While the frequency of frog fatalities by vehicles significantly declined during the first months of the pandemic, no notable change was observed
in road mortality among salamanders.

Researchers believe the discrepancy may involve precipitation, for
salamanders typically travel less in rainfall, while frogs remain
unaffected or increase their movement. More frogs than salamanders died
from vehicle collisions statewide from 2018-2021, particular during
warmer and wetter weather, according to researchers.

The Maine Big Night project not only supports research like this
latest study, but serves to monitor amphibian populations and identify locations where many are killed in vehicle collisions. Participants also
help escort live frogs and salamanders across the road in an effort to
reduce mortalities.

According to LeClair, 426 certified volunteers, with 149 of them providing
data as a primary submitter, have surveyed 199 sites across Maine since
2018 as part of The Maine Big Night. His project has gained national
attention, with articles about it published in the New York Times and
The Atlantic.

"I've been moving frogs and salamanders out of roads
since I was a kid," LeClair says, "hopefully this
work will assist in the repair of these ecological wounds." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Maine. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Gregory LeClair, Matthew W. H. Chatfield, Zachary Wood, Jeffrey
Parmelee,
Cheryl A. Frederick. Influence of the COVID‐19 pandemic on
amphibian road mortality. Conservation Science and Practice, 2021;
DOI: 10.1111/csp2.535 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211013104613.htm

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