TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ziege, Madlen
A1  - Hermann, Bernd Timo
A1  - Kriesten, Stefanie
A1  - Merker, Stefan
A1  - Ullmann, Wiebke
A1  - Streit, Bruno
A1  - Wenninger, Sandra
A1  - Plath, Martin
T1  - Ranging behavior of European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in urban and suburban landscapes
JF  - Mammal research / Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences
N2  - Various mammals, particularly carnivores, reportedly establish smaller home ranges in urban compared with rural areas. This may be because urban environments provide optimal resources within a small area, negating the requirement to range further, or because habitat fragmentation constrains ranging behavior. Comparable information on urban populations of herbivorous mammalian species (such as European rabbits) is scarce. To fill this knowledge gap, we radio-tracked 13 individuals (seven females and six males) equipped with radio collars in a suburban and an urban study site in the city of Frankfurt am Main in Germany during the reproductive season (March to September) of 2012. The study sites differed in levels of habitat fragmentation. We report the smallest home ranges ever described for this species, with mean 95% minimum convex polygons (MCPs) covering 0.50 ha, while no consistent differences between sites were uncovered. We occasionally tracked individuals crossing streets underground (in burrows), suggesting that streets may restrict the ranging behavior of rabbits-and possibly other burrowing species-to a much lesser extent than previously thought. We conclude that heterogeneous landscape structures, made up of a diverse mosaic of buildings, parks, and gardens, provide sufficient food and shelter in close proximity to burrows at both study sites. Therefore, our data support the hypothesis that optimal resources constrain ranges in this case rather than habitat fragmentation.
KW  - Habitat fragmentation
KW  - Home range
KW  - Urbanization
KW  - Urban ecology
KW  - Minimum convex polygons (MCPs)
Y1  - 2020
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-020-00490-2
SN  - 2199-2401
SN  - 2199-241X
VL  - 65
IS  - 3
SP  - 607
EP  - 614
PB  - Springer
CY  - Heidelberg
ER  -