%0 Journal Article
%T Landscape ecology and wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) habitat modeling in the Mediterranean region
%A Narce
%A M.
%A Meloni
%A R.
%A Beroud
%A T.
%A Pl¨Śney
%A A.
%J Animal Biodiversity and Conservation
%D 2012
%I The Natural Science Museum of Barcelona
%X Landscape modification is one of the reasons for the decrease in rabbit populations. The objective of this study was to model wild rabbit habitat using landscape ecology to create a diagnosis method able to assess habitat quality at a large scale. Rabbit presence/absence was recorded on 536 plots of 1 ha. Spotlight transect counts indicated a low relative abundance (KIA = 2.3 rabbits/km). We produced a land use map with metric precision using remote sensing. Water, bare soil, herbaceous, shrubs and trees were identified. Landscape structure and diversity were evaluated using variables available in FRAGSTATS. A logistic regression was performed to assess the link between rabbit presence/absence and landscape structure. Our results indicate that a suitable habitat has a high diversity, a medium number of patches and a small proportion of shrubs. These results could be used to diagnose the landscape prior to any management action to enhance rabbit populations and conversely be helpful as a tool of integrated control in the cases of local outbreaks with agricultural damages.
%K Wild rabbit
%K Habitat modeling
%K Landscape pattern
%K Remote sensing
%K Mediterranean region
%U http://abc.museucienciesjournals.cat/files/ABC_35-2_pp_277-283.pdf