Assessing and Managing the Ecological Impacts of Paved Roads


Book Description

All phases of road developmentâ€"from construction and use by vehicles to maintenanceâ€"affect physical and chemical soil conditions, water flow, and air and water quality, as well as plants and animals. Roads and traffic can alter wildlife habitat, cause vehicle-related mortality, impede animal migration, and disperse nonnative pest species of plants and animals. Integrating environmental considerations into all phases of transportation is an important, evolving process. The increasing awareness of environmental issues has made road development more complex and controversial. Over the past two decades, the Federal Highway Administration and state transportation agencies have increasingly recognized the importance of the effects of transportation on the natural environment. This report provides guidance on ways to reconcile the different goals of road development and environmental conservation. It identifies the ecological effects of roads that can be evaluated in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of roads and offers several recommendations to help better understand and manage ecological impacts of paved roads.




Ecological Effects of Road De-icing Salt on Adirondack Forests and Headwater Streams


Book Description

Water samples from upstream and downstream sites on eighteen study streams in the Adirondacks, New York State, were collected over three years and analyzed for the presence of road salt runoff as measured by chloride ion content. Streams crossed by state roads receive more road salt runoff than streams crossed by county roads. High levels of road salt runoff were not associated with lower levels of Plecoptera or Trichoptera in headwater streams in the Adirondacks. However, Ephemeroptera were affected by high levels of road salt runoff. Forest composition in ten transects above and below state roads was analyzed by point-centered quarter method. Trees in the lowest quartile of circumference in each transect, representing recruitment, were further analyzed by point-centered quarter method. Transects were centered on study streams. Mean chloride ion content of study streams, indicating forest exposure to road salt runoff, was seen to favor recruitment of balsam, Abies balsamea.




Environmental Impact of Highway Deicing


Book Description







Sustainable Winter Road Operations


Book Description

The first and only comprehensive guide to best practices in winter road operations Winter maintenance operations are essential to ensure the safety, mobility, and productivity of transportation systems, especially in cold-weather climates, and responsible agencies are continually challenged to provide a high level of service in a fiscally and environmentally responsible manner. Sustainable Winter Road Operations bridges the knowledge gaps, providing the first up-to-date, authoritative, single-source overview and guide to best practices in winter road operations that considers the triple bottom line of sustainability. With contributions from experts in the field from around the world, this book takes a holistic approach to the subject. The authors address the many negative impacts on regional economies and the environment of poorly planned and inadequate winter road operations, and they make a strong case for the myriad benefits of environmentally sustainable concepts and practices. Best practice applications of materials, processes, equipment, and associated technologies and how they can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of winter operations, optimize materials usage, and minimize cost, corrosion, and environmental impacts are all covered in depth. Provides the first up-to-date, authoritative and comprehensive overview of best practices in sustainable winter road operations currently in use around the world Covers materials, processes, equipment, and associated technologies for sustainable winter road operations Brings together contributions by an international all-star team of experts with extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing sustainable winter road operations Designed to bring professionals involved in transportation and highway maintenance and control up to speed with current best practice Sustainable Winter Road Operations is essential reading for maintenance professionals dealing with snow and ice control operations on highways, motorways and local roads. It is a valuable source of information and guidance for decision makers, researchers, and engineers in transportation engineering involved in transportation and highway maintenance. And it is an ideal textbook for advanced-level courses in transportation engineering.




Evolutionary Ecology of Amphibians


Book Description

Amphibians are the oldest tetrapod group and show an astonishing diversity in lifestyles, many of them being unique. However, globally, they are on a decline. Hence, their study is fundamental to understanding the evolution of diversity and conserving them. This book, authored by experts from around the world, summarizes the current knowledge on the evolutionary ecology of amphibians. The book treats biological concepts related to the evolution, ecology, physiology, immunology, behaviour, and morphology of amphibians in their different states. This book constitutes an actualized work indispensable for evolutionary ecologists and herpetologists.




Roads and Ecological Infrastructure


Book Description

Published in association with The Wildlife Society.




Amphibian and Reptile Road Ecology


Book Description

Roads may threaten the persistence of wildlife populations by acting as barriers to movement and/or sources of increased mortality across the landscape. Amphibians and reptiles have been identified as being particularly susceptible to negative road impacts. Many species migrate annually among habitats to support basic life history requirements such as breeding, development, foraging, and overwintering. For these species, individuals may need to successfully cross roads multiple times each year for the population to persist. Many are slow-moving and freeze in the presence of danger, making it almost impossible for them to avoid oncoming vehicles. Although there are a plethora of road mortality location and count data, the effects of road mortality on the long-term viability of amphibian and reptile populations and metapopulations are mostly unknown due to a lack of information on their abundance, vital rates, behavior, and spatial and temporal dynamics.




Routledge Handbook of Urban Biodiversity


Book Description

This handbook provides a state-of-the-art, comprehensive overview of the expanding field of urban biodiversity. The field of urban biodiversity has emerged from within the broad discipline of urban ecology in the past two decades and is now a significant field in its own right. In view of this, the Routledge Handbook of Urban Biodiversity presents a thorough treatment of this field detailing the history of urban biodiversity, theoretical foundations, current state of knowledge, and application of that knowledge. The handbook is split into four parts: Part I: Setting the Stage for Urban Biodiversity Research and Practice Part II: Foundational Concepts and Theory in Urban Biodiversity Research Part III: Population and Community Ecology of Key Urban Taxa Part IV: Urban Biodiversity Practice: Management, Planning, and Design for Healthy Communities This volume contains interdisciplinary and global contributions from established and early career academics as well as professionals and practitioners, addressing two key fields in urban biodiversity: fundamental research focused on answering questions about the mechanisms explaining the distribution of species among and within cities; and applied research and work by practitioners to address concerns about urban biodiversity conservation, restoration, planning, design, and public involvement. This handbook is essential reading for students, academics, and professionals interested and working in the fields of urban biodiversity, ecology, nature conservation, urban planning, and landscape architecture.