Abstract

Amphibian road mortality is a conservation concern that is receiving increased attention by the conservation community, especially given the increasing number of studies quantifying numbers of individuals that are run over by vehicles during seasonal migrations to and from breeding wetlands and during nonmigratory activity bouts on roadways. In this study we assess the activity patterns of Fowler's Toads (Anaxyrus fowleri) on an 800-m long road segment at Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts, United States, over the course of an 11-wk period during the upland activity season of this species. Our results indicated that a large number of individuals were active on this road segment, even during nonrainy nights, and that some individuals spent extended periods of time on the road segment within a given night and were present on the road segment during multiple nights throughout the study duration. These findings suggest that amphibian road mortality may not be limited to seasonal migrations to and from breeding wetlands, and our results provide indirect evidence that A. fowleri individuals may be employing roadways as migration corridors, for hydro–thermo regulatory purposes, or for foraging purposes. These extended activity rates on roadways, both within and among nights, increase road-mortality risk and provide added support for conservation actions such as temporary road closure events to reduce amphibian road-mortality rates.