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Ecological investigations to select mitigation options to reduce vehicle-caused mortality of a threatened butterfly

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Abstract

Whereas roads that bisect habitat are known to decrease population size through animal-vehicle collisions or interruption of key life history events, it is not always obvious how to reduce such impacts, especially for flying organisms. We needed a quick, cost-efficient and effective way to determine how best to decrease vehicle-caused mortality while maintaining habitat connectivity for the federally listed Oregon silverspot butterfly, Speyeria zerene hippolyta. Therefore, we gathered targeted ecological information that informed selection of a mitigation option prior to implementation. We sampled butterfly behavior and environmental conditions along a highway and conducted a small-scale experiment along a decommissioned road corridor used by these butterflies. Using our findings, we recommended vegetation management and helped managers eliminate options they were considering that would be ineffective such as increasing shade or wind in the road, and installing fencing or hedgerows aimed at directing flight above traffic. This quick and inexpensive approach of using ecological observations and small-scale experiments to evaluate the likely success of each available mitigation option can be used to determine effective, species-specific solutions for reducing traffic impacts on pollinators and other small, flying organisms of conservation concern.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Martin Bray, Paul Hammond, Randy Miller, Mike Patterson, Melissa Shelley, Paul G. Thomas, and Anne Walker for their generous support and expertise and Chris Parker and Patrick Edwards for help with statistical analyses. Portland State University funded the project (FEA grant to CED) and the USDA Forest Service provided housing as well as field support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, Portland, OR, 97207, USA

    Sara B. Zielin, Jalene Littlejohn & Catherine E. de Rivera

  2. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, La Grande, OR, 97850, USA

    Winston P. Smith

  3. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Davis, CA, 95618, USA

    Sandra L. Jacobson

Authors
  1. Sara B. Zielin
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  2. Jalene Littlejohn
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  3. Catherine E. de Rivera
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  4. Winston P. Smith
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  5. Sandra L. Jacobson
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Correspondence to Catherine E. de Rivera.

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Zielin, S.B., Littlejohn, J., de Rivera, C.E. et al. Ecological investigations to select mitigation options to reduce vehicle-caused mortality of a threatened butterfly. J Insect Conserv 20, 845–854 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-016-9916-4

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