We present a framework to identify species and roads vulnerable to AVC as a function of road, traffic and species characteristics, using data from traffic simulations under different traffic heterogeneity and volume scenarios, and morphometry and behavioural data of six widespread large mammals of Central India. The study was conducted on a 60 km stretch of the National Highway 44 (NH 44) passing through the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra states.

The behaviour of animals, in terms of activity patterns in the vicinity of roads, was incorporated into the model in the form of AVC risk, which is the AVC probability under a specific hourly traffic volume for a species, multiplied by the activity (hourly detection probability) of the animal near the road. Jaarsma, C. F., van Langevelde, F. & Botma, H. Flattened fauna and mitigation: traffic victims related to road, traffic, vehicle, and species characteristics. Transp. Res. Part D 11, 264–276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2006.05.001 (2006).A. boonei De Wild (Apocyanaceae) is a medicinal plant used extensively in West and Central Africa for the treatment of malaria, fever, intestinal helminths, rheumatism, hypertension ( Terashima, 2003; Betti, 2004; Abel and Busia, 2005).

Ridout, M. & Linkie, M. Estimating overlap of daily activity patterns from camera trap data. J. Agric. Biol. Environ. Stat. 14, 322–337 (2009). This study shows that both aMT and MT are physiologically active compounds inhibiting the testicular activity of this tropical mammal. The present results indicate a sensitivity of the animal to change in lighting condition. This result further confirms the previous finding that the pineal and testes of F. pennanti are sensitive to daylength ( Haldar et al., 1990). The results also demonstrate, for the first time, that the animal can distinguish between the time of the day when MI are administered. In other words, the inhibitory effects of aMT and MT are dependent on the period of the day when they are administered. While evening injections led to inhibition of testicular activity under both long and short photoperiods, MI administration during morning hours failed to produce any significant effect on the testes of F. pennanti under short or long photoperiod. LP was stimulatory to the testes whereas SP was inhibitory to the testes of the squirrel. Our results are similar to those on adult golden hamsters ( Mesocricetus auratus) in which daily aMT injections in morning, under long days result in gonadal maintenance ( Reiter et al., 1976; Stetson et al., 1983; Tamarkin et al., 1976; Tamarkin et al., 1977). Other studies indicate that morning injections of aMT under long to short days retards gonadal regression in the same animal ( Pevet et al., 1982b; Turek et al., 1980). The study was performed during the testicular active phase (Apr-June) of the annual testicular cycle of the animal ( Haldar et al., 1990). Adult males (100–120 g body weight) of F. pennanti were obtained in the äfirst week of April and acclimatized, for two weeks, in a room fully exposed to natural environmental conditions. They were housed in wire net cages and provided with food (soaked gram seeds) and water ad libitum. They were divided into different groups of eight animals each, in accordance with the protocol in Table 1. Pinealectomy (Px) was performed following the technique of Haldar-Misra ( Haldar, 1986). Besides NDL animals were exposed to LP of 14L:10D and SP of 10L:14D. The environmental temperature during the period of experimentation was recorded as a maximum of 37.02°C and a minimum of 28.11°C. The animals exposed to experimental LP and SP were maintained at 37°C. Two such sets of animals were maintained. One set. received injections in the morning at 7 hr. and another during evening at 16.30 hr. Animals under LP received morning injections 2 hr after lights on and evening injections 2 1/2 hr before light off. Animals exposed to SP received morning injections 15 min after lights on and 15 min before lights off. Solutions of aMT and MT (Sigma Chemical Co., USA) were made following the method of Pevet and Haldar-Misra ( Pevet et al., 1982a). The animals were injected subcutaneously with 10μg MI/animal/day. Control animals were injected with vehicle (normal saline, 0.90% aqueous NaCl)/animal/day. After completion of 60 days the animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and their body weights noted. Testes were removed, weighed on a microelectrical balance and fixed in Bouin's fluid. They were processed by the routine paraffin method for histological observations. Seminiferous tubule diameter of testes was measured by an ocular micrometer. The data was statistically analysed with the help of Student's ‘t’ test and analysis of variance, ANOVA ( Bruning et al., 1977). Table 1 Orlowski, G. & Nowak, L. Factors influencing mammal roadkills in the agricultural landscape of south-western Poland. Pol. J. Ecol. 54, 283–294 (2006).Arasan, V. T. & Koshy, R. Z. Headway distribution of heterogeneous traffic on urban arterials. J. Inst. Eng. (India) 84, 210–215 (2003).

Velmurugan, S., Errampalli, M., Ravinder, K., Sitaramanjaneyulu, K. & Gangopadhyay, S. Critical evaluation of roadway capacity of multi-lane high speed corridors under heterogeneous traffic conditions through traditional and microscopic simulation models. Journal of Indian Roads Congress (October–December 2010) 235–264 (2010). accessed 23 Mar 2019; https://www.crridom.gov.in/ Majumder, A. Prey Selection, Food Habits and Population Structure of Sympatric Carnivores: Tiger Panthera tigris tigris (L.), Leopard Panthera pardus (L.) and Dhole Cuon alpinus (Pallas) in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh (India) (Saurashtra University, Rajkot, 2011). Sarkar, D. Lattice: Multivariate Data Visualization with R. (2008). Springer, New York. ISBN 978-0-387-75968-5. accessed 25 Mar 2019; https://lmdvr.r-forge.r-project.org/. Giffney, R. A., Russell, T. & Kohen, J. L. Age of road-killed common brushtail possums ( Trichosurus vulpecula) and common ringtail possums ( Pseudocheirus peregrinus) in an urban environment. Aust. Mammal. 31, 137–142 (2009). PN Saxena (1925-1999), Indian academic and founder Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical CollegeOur framework can help inform mitigation of AVC and barrier effects in two ways: by identifying existing and proposed roads in a network that are or may become barriers to animal movement because of present and projected traffic volume, and by informing measures on existing roads with no structural mitigation measures based on traffic and animal activity. This is important for developing economies with rapidly increasing traffic loads on existing unmitigated road networks. Human risk assessment has been investigated to find out the potential hazard resulting from human exposure to poisonous substances present in various foodstuffs and environmental matrices. These investigations are generally used to help with meeting guidelines like those specified by administrative bodies like WHO and numerous others [42]. The major point of human risk evaluation is, to ensure the protection of consumers against the impacts of poisons in water or foods. Thus, it is important to guarantee that contaminants of interest in food or water don’t surpass the normal daily intake. Ibisch, P. L. et al. A global map of roadless areas and their conservation status. Science 354, 1423–1427. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf7166 (2016). Sapan Saxena, Indian author, best known for his novel Finders, Keepers (Saxena novel)& UNNS-The Captivation