Niche of the Cottontail Rabbit

In my observations of the cottontail, I have noticed a few things about their typical environment. Around campus, they can often be found in the grassy areas on campus, on French Hill, and in the bushes. They also come out in large numbers at night. In places where shelter (bushes, shrubs, artificial structures) is present, they are often harder to see because they like to be covered. In looking at maps of observations of the cottontails, there is a higher frequency of observations in places that are at lower elevations and have a higher human population. It is unclear whether this is because more humans=more observations or because the rabbits have more of a realized niche in areas where humans are present (more water, more grass, more shelter...). The fundamental nice is most definitely a larger area that encompasses a large part of the American southwest, including temperate weather, low elevation, and some source of food and moisture.

Posted on 20 de fevereiro de 2020, 06:10 PM by lillianniccum