Selection, size, and use of home range of the Appalachian Cottontail, Sylvilagus obscurus

Abstract

Little is known about the ecology of the Appalachian Cottontail (Sylvilagus obscurus) in the northern portion of its range. We studied selection, size and use of home range for eight radio-collared Appalachian cottontails in western Maryland from February to July 1995. Home ranges were large and highly variable. For both sexes combined, median 100% minimum convex polygon (MCP), 95% MCP, and 95% adaptive kernel home ranges measured 5.4, 4.3, and 4.7 ha, respectively. Home ranges had greater amounts of understory cover and lesser slopes (≤25°) than the surrounding landscape. Rabbits used portions of home ranges in close proximity (≤2 m) to concealment cover, with canopy closure ≤95%, and with Blackberry, Rubus alleganiensis, as the dominant shrub species; they avoided places > 10 m from concealment cover, with low stem density (<20 stems/l-m radius plot), and with 95-100% canopy closure. Dense understory concealment and escape cover seemed to be more important than species of vegetation to Appalachian Cottontails in Maryland. Our results suggest that fragmentation of habitat could limit the distribution of the species. We also demonstrate the importance of analyzing individual variation of life history characteristics in addition to measures of central tendency.