Waiting on a mule deer crossing…
Increasing urbanization has led to the expansion of human infrastructure, including road networks. Current research has shown that roads have important ecological effects, ranging from habitat fragmentation to contamination of water runoff. This study examined the potential effects of roads on the reproductive success of subalpine wildflower populations in two meadows at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, CO. Based on studies conducted in previous years, we predicted that distance from a road would result in differences in pollinator visitation, pollen loads, and seed sets of Ipomopsis aggregata. Additionally, this study evaluated the road environment in terms of human traffic disturbance. In our characterization, we highlight road noise as a possible interpretation of observed differences near and far from the road. We found trends suggesting visitation rates were generally higher for plants near the road versus farther away. However, we did find that events of visitation are often longer in terms of number of flowers visited on plants further from the unpaved road, which suggests pollinators may have been interrupted during visits to plants near the road. Measurements of traffic volume and frequency along with paired decibel level measurements also indicated that the noise produced by the road is significantly higher than ambient noise levels, implicating that human disturbance, particularly in the form of motorized vehicles, directly alter the noise environment at these sites. Data continue to be analyzed to relate visitation rates, pollen loads, and seed sets obtained from this experiment. For now, we conclude that the effects of roads, particularly in terms of increased noise pollution, must continue to be studied in order to further our understanding of how the expansion of human infrastructure is potentially altering the surrounding natural environment.
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