Vegetation structure descriptors regulating the presence of wild rabbit in the National Park of Peneda-Ger�s, Portugal

Abstract

The aim of this work is to assess whether there is a specific structural vegetation pattern for the wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus (L., 1758) that might explain its spatial distribution. The species presence was approached through logistic regression modelling based on selected descriptors of vegetation landscape structure: number of homogeneous vegetation units, their areas and diversity values and heterogeneity indexes. All variables were derived for two hunting areas within the National Park of Peneda-Gereˆs in northern Portugal. The results show the wild rabbit preference for types of vegetation cover that offer, first of all, shelter, mainly in the form of shrub cover, and secondly, vegetation cover that always displays high fragmentation or high availability of resources. This animal avoids landscapes with homogeneous and continuous vegetation cover. The results obtained are suggestive of management actions to improve the habitat in order to encourage development of the species, whose presence will also favour the threatened and endangered predators that occur in the National Park of Peneda-Gereˆs.

Using risk prediction models and species sensitivity maps for large-scale identification of infrastructure-related wildlife protection areas: The case of bird electrocution

“…In our study, 77% of electrocuted birds were raptors, many of which are sit-and-wait hunters and use mainly forest-crop ecotones (Sánchez-Zapata and Calvo, 1999). Both features are closely linked, given that ecotones are preferred habitats for European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), the key prey for raptors in the Mediterranean ecosystem (Monzon et al, 2004, Delibes-Mateos et al, 2008, 2009). Presence of prey around pylons is a well-documented predictor of electrocution risk (Tintó et al, 2010;Guil et al, 2011).…”

Plant taxa and communities on three islets in south Croatia, NE Mediterranean

“…Our results show, as is the case in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France, that site colonization by the european rabbit has a negative influence on vegetation through the complete absence or much reduced proportion of both the shrub and herb layers (cf. lombardi et al, 2003;monzón et al, 2004;sarmento et al, 2012;Narce et al, 2012).…”

Is the Nature 2000 Network associated with small-game bag results?

“…It was been extensively shown that wild rabbit abundance correlates with the amount of ecotone between habitats that provide shelter and habitats that provide food, whilst large homogeneous patches are avoided (Rogers and Myers 1979;Palomares and Delibes 1997;Lombardi et al 2003;Carvalho and Gomes 2003;Monzón et al 2004). Wild rabbits also avoid hard soils where warren building is difficult, whilst their abundance is associated with the available amount of non-irrigated cultures (Angulo 2004).…”