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Winter browsing of brown hares: evidence for diet breadth expansion

Ein Beleg für Nahrungsnischenverbreiterung anhand des Winterverbiß des Feldhasen

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Abstract

Foraging theory predicts that diet breadth should expand as food availability decreases. We tested this by looking at the winter browsing behaviour of the brown hare Lepus europaeus. We predicted selective feeding on different woody plant species, diet generalisation under increasingly severe winter conditions and a rank preference between the different food items. Following a period of severe winter conditions, we censused browsing marks of brown hares on woody plants at six sites situated at different altitudes (340-600 m a. s. I.) in Upper Franconia, Germany. We assumed that access to ground vegetation, which is the general diet of brown hares, was more restricted at sites with higher snow cover. The results provided support for all of our predictions: Feeding intensity varied strongly between the different plant species indicating selectivity of feeding. The number and also the percentage of browsed woody plant species was positively correlated with the altitude of the study site indicating a wider diet breadth in situations where less food was available. On the basis of a rank model on the food choice of brown hares, which was evaluated by an independent data set, we conclude that brown hares show a rank preference with regard to different groups of woody plant species. Our findings support the assumption that food restricted hares increasingly include unfavourable, low quality items into the diet.

Zusammenfassung

Nach Voraussagen der foraging theory sollte sich die Breite des Nahrungsspektrums bei abnehmender Nahrungsverfügbarkeit ausdehnen. Dies wurde von uns anhand von Daten zum Winterverbiß des Feldhasen Lepus europaeus untersucht. Unsere diesbezüglichen Erwartungen waren Selektivität in der Wahl verschiedener Gehölzarten, eine Erweiterung des Nahrungsspektrums bei zunehmender Winterhärte und eine Rangpräferenz zwischen den verschiedenen verbissenen Pflanzenarten. Unsere Studie wurde im Anschluß an eine extrem harte Winterperiode durchgeführt. Wir untersuchten Verbißstellen des Feldhasen an Gehölzarten in sechs verschiedenen Untersuchungsgebieten in verschiedenen Höhenlagen (340-600 m NN) in Oberfranken. Dazu setzten wir voraus, daß der Zugang zur Bodenvegetation, die grundsätzlich die Hauptnahrung des Feldhasen darstellt, in Gebieten mit höherer Schneelage stärker limitiert war. Unsere Ergebnisse stützen all unsere getroffenen Annahmen: die Verbißintensität der Feldhasen wies starke Unterschiede zwischen den verschiedenen Pflanzenarten auf, was auf eine selektive Nahrungswahl hindeutet. Weiterhin stand die Anzahl und auch der Anteil verbissener Gehölzarten in positivem Zusammenhang zur geographischen Höhe des Untersuchungsgebietes. Dies läßt auf ein verbreitertes Nahrungsspektrum unter Bedingungen der Nahrungslimitierung schließen. Anhand eines Rangmodells zur Nahrungswahl, das mit unabhängigen Daten evaluiert wurde, konnte auf eine lineare Rangpräferenz bezüglich verschiedener Gruppen von Gehölzarten geschlossen werden. Unsere Befunde stützen die Annahme, daß Feldhasen unter Bedingungen der Nahrungsverknappung zunehmend ungünstige Nahrung mit niedriger Qualität in ihre Ernährung einbeziehen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Physiology, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, D-95440, Bayreuth, Germany

    H. G. Rödel

  2. Department of Animal Ecology, University of Bayreuth, D-95440, Bayreuth, Germany

    W. Völkl

  3. Öconsult GmbH, D-95503, Hummeltal, Germany

    H. Kilias

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  1. H. G. Rödel
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  2. W. Völkl
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  3. H. Kilias
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Correspondence to H. G. Rödel.

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Rödel, H.G., Völkl, W. & Kilias, H. Winter browsing of brown hares: evidence for diet breadth expansion. Mamm Biol 69, 410–419 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1078/1616-5047-00163

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