Road Impacts on Insects
摘要
Compared to other animals, insects have not featured much in road ecology until recently, although they have exceptional conservation value. In this chapter, we provide an overview of insects and their relationships with various types of roads. The extensive road networks across the world today have important implications for insects. Some insects benefit from landscape features associated with roads, while others are greatly impacted. There are many factors that influence insect responses to roads, including road width, surface type, traffic volume and velocity, artificial lighting, and landscape context. Existing road conditions can be greatly improved to encourage more complete suites of insects in rural and urban areas, thereby improving functional connectivity at the regional scale. Planning of new road networks should consider sensitive ecosystems while making use of alternative road designs to limit future impacts. Public awareness and citizen science can further improve present and future conservation initiatives to protect insects in an ever-changing world.