Home ranges of brown hares in a natural salt marsh: comparisons with agricultural systems

This is the first study on spatial behaviour of brown hares Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778 based on radio-telemetry in a natural system, which we contra st with data from agricultural systems. Radio tracking took place in a Dutc h salt marsh over a 10-month period, with intensive tracking sessions durin g April/May and December/January. Six hares could be followed in both perio ds and in total 1224 fixes were collected. Average home range size was calc ulated as 28.7 +/- 8.5 ha when using Adaptive Kernell method (Mimimum Conve x Polygon: 27.3 +/- 9.0 ha) On 90% Of all fixes. Such values are in the low er end of the range of those obtained for agricultural systems. Home range size did not differ between sexes, day and night, or across seasons. Howeve r, the size of the core range (50% of fixes) was twice as large in May comp ared to the winter period, and thus inversely related to food availability. Unlike in agricultural systems, use of space by hares did not change over the course of the season. This probably reflects the patchy nature of the n atural habitat which provides food and shelter throughout the year in a con fined area.