Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
5-2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Dr. Richard Kline
Second Advisor
Dr. John Young
Third Advisor
Dr. Abdullah Rahman
Abstract
To mitigate ocelot (Leopardus pardalis albescens ) road mortality, Texas Department of Transportation installed fencing, wildlife road crossing structures (WRCS, n = 5), and wildlife guards (WG, n = 18) on divided State Highway 100 in Cameron County, Texas. During construction, active infrared (AIR, n = 24) and passive infrared (PIR, n = 24) cameras were side-by-side at WRCS (n = 6) and WG (n = 6). Community composition was significantly different (p = 0.0001) between camera types with AIR cameras detecting a more diverse and abundant community. Wildlife community was significantly different (p = 0.0002) between three WRCS but not between pipe and bridge grate WG (p = 0.4427). Pipe WG had a significantly higher repel rate for bobcats (56%) and coyotes (83%) than bridge grate WG (18%, p = 0.020 and 52%, p < 0.0005 respectively). WRCS are a viable solution for the endangered ocelot in the United States.
Recommended Citation
Cogan, Tiffany C., "Monitoring Wildlife Guards and Crossing Structures on a Divided Highway in South Texas" (2018). Theses and Dissertations. 251.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/etd/251
Comments
Copyright 2018 Tiffany C. Cogan. All Rights Reserved.
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