United States Department of Transportation
i
Exploring Apex Predator Effects on Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions: A Case Study on Wolf Reintroductions in Yellowstone [supporting dataset]
-
2024-08-31
[JSON-6.45 KB]
Details:
-
Creators:
-
Corporate Creators:
-
Corporate Contributors:
-
Subject/TRT Terms:
-
Publication/ Report Number:
-
DOI:
-
Resource Type:
-
Geographical Coverage:
-
Corporate Publisher:
-
Abstract:This study investigates the impact of wolf reintroduction on wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) along a segment of US-191 bordering Yellowstone National Park. Wolves were reintroduced in 1995–1996, and subsequent wolf pack establishment may have influenced the behavior and population dynamics of prey species, potentially altering WVC patterns. Using carcass data collected from 1989 to 2021, the analysis was divided into two primary phases: before wolves (1989–1996) and after wolves (1997–2021). A series of linear mixed-effects models were developed to assess changes in WVCs across these time periods. Predictor variables included average annual daily traffic (AADT), elk population estimates, and wolf counts. Results showed that WVCs significantly declined in the post-wolf period, suggesting that the presence of wolves may reduce WVCs directly by modifying prey behavior and movement patterns, or indirectly by reducing prey population densities. Further analysis revealed that while elk populations were a significant predictor of WVCs before wolves were reintroduced, this relationship weakened post-reintroduction. Traffic volume did not significantly influence WVC patterns in either period, nor did it interact significantly with wolf presence. The inclusion of wolf counts as a continuous variable showed a negative relationship with WVCs, indicating that higher wolf densities may contribute to a further reduction in collisions over time. These findings suggest that apex predators can play a role in mitigating human-wildlife conflicts, such as WVCs, by influencing prey species’ behavior and distribution. The study provides valuable insights for wildlife managers and transportation planners, highlighting the potential benefits of predator conservation for road safety and ecosystem health.
The total size of the zip file is 247 KB. The .csv, Comma Separated Value, file is a simple format that is designed for a database table and supported by many applications. The .csv file is often used for moving tabular data between two different computer programs, due to its open format. The most common software used to open .csv files are Microsoft Excel and RecordEditor, (for more information on .csv files and software, please visit https://www.file-extensions.org/csv-file-extension). The .txt file type is a common text file, which can be opened with a basic text editor. The most common software used to open .txt files are Microsoft Windows Notepad, Sublime Text, Atom, and TextEdit (for more information on .txt files and software, please visit https://www.file-extensions.org/txt-file-extension).
-
Content Notes:National Transportation Library (NTL) Curation Note: As this dataset is preserved in a repository outside U.S. DOT control, as allowed by the U.S. DOT’s Public Access Plan (https://doi.org/10.21949/1503647) Section 7.4.2 Data, the NTL staff has performed NO additional curation actions on this dataset. This dataset has been curated to CoreTrustSeal's curation level "C. Initial Curation." To find out more information on CoreTrustSeal's curation levels, please consult their "Curation & Preservation Levels" CoreTrustSeal Discussion Paper" (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11476980). NTL staff last accessed this dataset at its repository URL on 2024-11-07. If, in the future, you have trouble accessing this dataset at the host repository, please email NTLDataCurator@dot.gov describing your problem. NTL staff will do its best to assist you at that time.
-
Format:
-
Funding:
-
Collection(s):
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
Download URL:
-
File Type:
