Responses of eastern cottontails to intensive row-crop farming

We studied responses of 25 transmitter-equipped eastern cottontails (Sylvil agus floridanus) to intensive farming disturbances in Illinois from June 19 90 to April 1993. Home ranges during the row-crop growing season (June - Oc tober) averaged 2.3 times larger than during the nongrowing season and 7-8 times larger than those reported in previous studies. There were no differe nces between sexes in size of home ranges or use of cover in either season. Habitat composition within home ranges of cottontails was not different th an from the entire study area during the growing season. During the nongrow ing season, cover type of the farmstead was a key element in home ranges of rabbits; it represented <2% of the study area but comprised 23% of home ra nges and 40% of locations of rabbits. Fifty-five percent of rabbit location s during the nongrowing season were located in harvested row crop fields. O ur study demonstrated how rabbits respond to spatial and temporal environme ntal changes caused by intensive agriculture where expansive row crops is t he primary cover type.