HABITAT SELECTION BY PYGMY RABBIT AT REGIONAL AND LANDSCAPE SCALES

Thomas E Dilts; University of Nevada Reno; tdilts@cabnr.unr.edu; Miranda Crowell, Marjorie Matocq, Kevin Shoemaker, Eveline Larrucea

Habitat selection occurs at multiple spatial scales ranging from fine-scale local selection to selection at the scale of the entire species' range. Pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) is a specialized burrowing rabbit that relies on sagebrush for most of its diet and for cover from predators. Using a variety of occurrence datasets, we generated multi-scale habitat selection models at the scale of the Great Basin and for three replicate landscapes: Hart-Sheldon, Elko, and Austin. For each of these landscapes/scales we generated models using an integrated modeling approach that incorporated both presence-absence and presence-background data and accounted for spatial sampling bias. Preliminary results suggest that a wide range of topographic, climatic, and vegetation variables may describe pygmy rabbit habitat. Our work has relevance to conservation and management of this sagebrush obligate species, and habitat models derived from this study can be used to inform regional habitat connectivity planning.

Ecology and Conservation of Mammals III