Movements and home range dynamics of cottontail rabbits in Mississippi

Knowledge of movement rates with respect to habitat conditions is necessary to understand foraging strategies, breeding opportunities, and probability of predation. The cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is an important small game animal, yet no previous study has simultaneously examined movement rates and home range dynamics with respect to gender, breeding season, diel period, and habitat use. We estimated home range (HR) and core use areas (CA) during the breeding seasons and diel periods for 94 cottontails. We determined breeding season, diel period, and habitat-specific movement rates for 103 cottontails in east-central Mississippi from 1 February 1997 to 31 January 1999. Overall movement rates (m/hr) did not differ between years (1997: (x) over bar = 28.81 m/hr, SE = 1.67; 1998: (x) over bar = 26.26 m/hr. SE = 2.34) or genders (male: (x) over bar 28.81 m/hr, SE = 2.24: female: (x) over bar = 23.06 m/hr, SE = 1.49). However, diel period interacted with season to influence movements (diurnal breeding: (x) over bar = 8.99 m/hr, SE = 0.93; diurnal nonbreeding: (x) over bar = 3.23 m/hr, SE = 0.35; crepuscular breeding: (x) over bar = 33.40 m/hr, SE = 2.47 crepuscular nonbreeding: (x) over bar = 23.45 m/hr. SE = 1.90; nocturnal breeding: (x) over bar = 43.12 m/hr, SE = 3.27; nocturnal nonbreeding: (x) over bar = 29.12 m/hr, SE = 1.71). Movement rates differed among habitat types (>1 habitat patch: (x) over bar = 41.7 m/hr, SE = 2.3; open fields: (x) over bar = 35.5 m/hr, SE = 6.1; rowcrops: (x) over bar 25.5 m/hr, SE 3.1; grass fields: (x) over bar = 19.4 m/hr, SE = 0.9; woody areas: (x) over bar = 15.7 m/hr, SE = 1.7). These differences were associated with differences in plant species richness (woody areas: (x) over bar = 11.1 plant species/30 m, SE = 0.7 : grass fields: (x) over bar = 9.2 plant species/30 m, SE = 0.3: open areas: (x) over bar8.5 plant species/30 m, SE = 1.1; rowcrops: (x) over bar = 5.8 plant species/30 m, SE = 1. 1) and percentage cover within habitats (0.0-0.9 in in height: rowcrop, woody areas, and grass fields had significantly greater cover than open areas; 0.9-1.8 m in height: rowcrop and woody areas had greater cover than grass fields and open areas). A significant gender-by-season interaction occurred for HR (95% adaptive. kernel) (male breeding: (x) over bar = 5.98 ha. SE = 0.57; male nonbreeding: (x) over bar = 2.54 ha, SE = 0.65; female breeding: (x) over bar = 3.04 ha, SE = 0.33 female nonbreeding: (x) over bar 2.11 ha, SE = 0.51) and CA (50%) (male breeding: (x) over bar = 0.93 ha, SE = 0.10; male nonbreeding: (x) over bar = 0.32 ha, SE = 0.08; female breeding: (x) over bar = 0.41 ha, SE 0.05; female nonbreeding: (x) over bar = 0.26 ha, SE = 0.05). Home range (diurnal: (x) over bar = 3.71 ha, SE=0.47: nocturnal /crepuscular: (x) over bar = 4.70 ha, SE = 0.43) and CA (diurnal: (x) over bar = 0.52 ha, SE = 0.07; nocturnal/crepuscular: (x) over bar = 0.69 ha, SE = 0.06) size differed between diel periods. Habitat specific movement patterns may be a function of forage availability and may influence fitness, particularly predation risk. Selection of habitats or habitat conditions that result in reduced movement rates by cottontails should reduce vulnerability to predation.