Rabbit Oryaolagus cuniculus habitats in Mediterranean scrubland:: the role of scrub structure and composition

Although scrub cover is generally regarded as an important habitat component of the European wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus, little is known about the species' responses to variation in scrub structure and composition. Such information is required for conservation management of rabbits in Mediterranean scrublands of the Iberian Peninsula (southwestern Europe), where the species is both a key resource for a range of endangered predators and a popular game species. To address this issue, we estimated the effects of variables characterising scrub vegetation on the occurrence and number of rabbit latrines in 60 250-m transects distributed in a 5,000-ha scrubland-dominated landscape in southwestern Portugal. The strongest effect was that of cover by the shrub Cistus ladanifer, which was positively related to both the occurrence and relative abundance of rabbits. Conversely, rabbits showed negative responses to cover by Chamaespartium tridentatum, ericoid and other broad-leaved shrubs. Rabbits favoured scrubs with a low density of woody vegetation at the ground level, but with a dense overhead cover. The herbaceous layer was also influential with positive effects of cover by grasses under the scrub and by forbs at the edge of the scrub. Taken together, our results suggest that conservation management of rabbit habitats in southwestern Portugal should strive to maintain scrub patches with a combination of favourable characteristics, including dense overhead cover but open access at the ground level, a developed herbaceous layer and woody species providing feeding opportunities during the summer period.