Major roadwork impacts the space use behavior of gray wolf

Major roadwork impacts the space use behavior of gray wolf

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Rubenature

By LIZ THOMAS

Wolf movement is negatively affected by road construction, but more due to human activity than the presence of human infrastructure and machinery.

Roads are the most common type of human infrastructure found in the forest, yet they can pose serious problems for wildlife. How much a road affects wildlife depends on the intensity of road-caused disturbances and the species itself. Roads can be a barrier to wildlife movement, lead to habitat loss, and increase access to hunting and poaching. The cumulative effects of roads could possibly impact whether a species’ local population will thrive or survive. Even so, species such as wolves can benefit from roads through increased food availability—that is, roadkill.

A group of scientists from the University of Quebec at Rimouski and the Quebec Ministry of Natural Resources and Wildlife assessed how disturbances associated with roads impacted wolf movement and their use of their habitat. Using one of the largest data sets available for wolves, the scientists report in Landscape and Urban Planning how major roadwork and human activity levels impact wolf movement during different times in the wolf reproductive cycle.

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