Vegetation quality and habitat selection by European haresLepus europaeus in a pastural landscape |
| |
Authors: | Rebecca K Smith Nancy V Jennings Frieda Tataruch Klaus Hackländer Stephen Harris |
| |
Institution: | 1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, BS8 1UG, Bristol, UK 3. Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Savoyenstr. 1, A 1160, Vienna, Austria 4. Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Peter-Jordan-Str. 76, 1190, Vienna, Austria
|
| |
Abstract: | European haresLepus europaeus Pallas, 1778 have lower population densities and body condition in pastural landscapes than in arable landscapes, but reasons
for this are not understood. The aim of this study was to determine whether forage quality is low in pastural landscapes during
certain seasons. We carried out chemical analysis of the nutritional quality of 5 habitat types to determine whether hares
select high quality habitats, and whether nutritional quality explains seasonal differences in range sizes of hares in pastural
landscapes. Hares did not tend to select habitats of high nutritional quality (protein, fat or energy) over those of lower
quality. Hares did not increase active range size as the overall energy content of forage at the study site decreased; seasonal
differences in active range size were not explained by nutritional quality. Differences may be explained by behavioural changes
related to breeding. Pastural habitat is fairly stable in terms of nutritional quality through the year, and results suggest
that poor forage quality is unlikely to be responsible for the poor body condition of hares in pastural landscapes. Hares
in these landscapes are more likely to be limited by habitat quality in terms of cover than by forage. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|