World Lagomorph Society
World Lagomorph Society
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Effectiveness of Swamp Rabbits as Indicator Species for Wildlife in Bottomland Hardwood Forests
Thanchira Suriyamongkol, Jessica L. Esposito, Clayton K. Nielsen, John W. Groninger
Abstract

Indicator species have been widely used to monitor ecological integrity and guide habitat restoration and management decision making. Although swamp rabbits (Sylvilagus aquaticus) have been identified as a potential indicator species of wildlife habitat quality in bottomland hardwood (BLH) forests, the effectiveness of swamp rabbits as an indicator species has not been tested quantitatively. We hypothesized that if swamp rabbits were a good indicator species, their responses to habitat components should represent responses of other taxa. Using wildlife presence-absence data collected in 2019 in southern Illinois, USA, we used a hierarchical multi-species occupancy framework to assess occupancy by wildlife and a correlation analysis to assess the relationship between species richness and swamp rabbit habitat components. Swamp rabbits preferred areas closer to upland forest, with high canopy closure, dense vertical obstruction and herbaceous ground cover, and high forest cover. Overall, 47.5% of herpetofauna and 44.4% of avifauna responses to habitat components were similar to swamp rabbits. Amphibians used habitat most similar to swamp rabbits, while facultative-wetland avifauna were the least similar. Reptile and facultative-wetland avifauna richness were strongly negatively correlated to forest cover and vertical obstruction, respectively. Although swamp rabbits alone did not represent the entire BLH wildlife community, similarities in occupancy trends between swamp rabbits and other taxa, along with the efficiency in monitoring of the species, suggested that swamp rabbits could be used as an indicator species.

 

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Document Information
Publish date: October 2024
Edition: SSRN 4986899