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Vol. 50 No. 3, 2011
Population Density and Habitat Use of the Introduced Eastern
Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) Compared to the Native
European Hare (Lepus europaeus)
Sandro
Bertolino1,*, Aurelio Perrone2, Laura Gola3,
and Ramona Viterbi4
1DIVAPRA
(Department of Protection and Exploitation of Agricultural Resources)
Entomology and Zoology, Via L. da Vinci 44, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), Italy
2Wildlife Science, Via Cossolo 68/A, 10029
Villastellone (TO), Italy
3Parco Fluviale del Po e dell’Orba, Piazza Giovanni
XXIII, 6, 15048 Valenza (AL), Italy
4Osservatorio faunistico regionale del Piemonte, Corso
Stati Uniti 21, 10128 Torino, Italy
Sandro Bertolino,
Aurelio Perrone, Laura Gola, and Ramona Viterbi (2011) We summarized the distribution of the
eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus
floridanus) introduced
into Italy and documented population densities of and habitat selection
by the species compared to the native European hare (Lepus europaeus). The cottontail is
presently in a large area in the northwestern part of the country, and
there are other small populations in the northeastern and central
parts. Cottontails were present in 13 surveyed areas with good
populations, while hares were common in only some of them. Cottontails
and hares partially differentiated the habitats they used as daily
resting sites and during feeding activities. Natural herbaceous
vegetation was used as resting sites by both species, but they differed
in the use of shores by hares and shrubby areas by cottontails. During
feeding, cottontails were found in natural herbaceous vegetation,
poplar plantations, meadows, and stubble fields, usually close to
shelter which may be used as refuge. Hares were mainly observed in open
fields, such as meadows, winter crops, and natural herbaceous
vegetation, but at ≥ 50 m from refuges. Our results suggest that the
coexistence of the 2 species is mediated by a partial separation of
spatial niches.
Key words: Coexistence,
Competition, Italy, Lagomorph, Resource partitioning.
*Correspondence: Tel: 39-011-6708677. Fax: 39-011-6708586.
E-mail:sandro.bertolino@unito.it
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