Wyniki wyszukiwania

1

Home range use by the European hare (Lepus europaeus) in a structurally diverse agricultural landscape analysed at a fine temporal scale

100%

Schai-Braun S. C., Hacklander K.

Acta Theriologica

|

2014

|

tom 59

|

nr 2

An animal’s home range use is influenced by the landscape type. European hare (Lepus europaeus) home ranging behaviour has been studied only in agricultural areas with medium to large fields. In agricultural areas with small fields, European hares’ locomotor behaviour is expected to be more localised. We tracked nine European hares by means of global positioning system (GPS) and very high-frequency (VHF) collars during summer in an agricultural area with small fields in Lower Austria. In particular, we analysed the hares’ space use at a fine temporal scale, such as when they were active and resting within single 24-h periods. Furthermore, we compared data (day–day distances and day–night distances travelled) calculated from GPS and VHF telemetry. Home ranges were smaller, and the distances between areas used for activity and inactivity were shorter, in this agricultural area with small fields than has ever been measured in other agricultural areas with larger fields. Both active and inactive European hares expressed a preference for areas near field edges. Our findings suggest that with GPS, it is possible to distinguish between the movement path and the relative location of distinctly used areas within an animal’s home range, whereas with VHF these two parameters may be difficult to separate. In conclusion, our results show that in areas where resources are easily accessible, such as in agricultural areas with small fields, the European hare is able to reduce its home range size to almost half of the minimum size that has been recorded so far in other habitats. As small home ranges involve less energy expenditure for movement, our results suggest that animals living in agro-ecosystems may benefit from small fields.

2

Developmental stability and canalization of limb bones of brown hares Lepus europaeus with varying levels of heterozygosity

80%

Sert H., Suchentrunk F., Ludescher B., Hacklander K.

Acta Theriologica

|

2005

|

tom 50

|

nr 2

We have studied fluctuating asymmetry (FA), as indicator of developmental stability, and between-individual variation, as surrogate of developmental canalization (DC), in long bones (humerus, ulna, radius, femur, tibia) of 72 wild-living adult-sized brown haresLepus europaeus Pallas, 1778 with variable individual heterozygosity (H).H was calculated from 13 polymorphic allozyme loci. According to the “over-dominance hypothesis”, we expected increased developmental stability and canalization at higherH-levels. But at the individual level we did not find any significant correlation between overall FA (FAI) andH. Also, standard deviations (SD) of mean length (over both body sides) of bones did not differ between individuals from two intentionally created groups of hares, namely one with high and one with lowH. FA-indices and variances of FA-indices of bone lengths did not differ significantly when compared between two intentionally created groups of hares with high and low SD of bone lengths, respectively. These latter findings suggest that developmental stability and DC are two separate or partly separate mechanisms of developmental homeostasis in the studied appendicular skeleton, and thatH has no traceable effect on develop-mental homeostasis. If there is still such an effect, it should be clearly smaller than a possibly combined effect of (presently uncontrolled) environmental stressors.

3

Vegetation quality and habitat selection by European hares Lepus europaeus in a pastural landscape

71%

Smith R. K., Jennings N. V., Tataruch F., Hacklander K., Harris S.

Acta Theriologica

|

2005

|

tom 50

|

nr 3

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.

Ograniczanie wyników

3 Acta Theriologica

3 Hacklander K.

1 Harris S.

1 Jennings N. V.

1 Ludescher B.

1 Schai-Braun S. C.

1 Sert H.

1 Smith R. K.

1 Suchentrunk F.

1 Tataruch F.

1 2014

2 2005

Home range use by the European hare (Lepus europaeus) in a structurally diverse agricultural landscape analysed at a fine temporal scale

Developmental stability and canalization of limb bones of brown hares Lepus europaeus with varying levels of heterozygosity

Vegetation quality and habitat selection by European hares Lepus europaeus in a pastural landscape