Eastern cottontail use of fragmented farmland habitat

Biotic and abiotic features influencing summer-fall habitat use by the eastern cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus (Allen, 1894), were investigated in an intensively-farmed region of Southern Minnesota, USA, during 1979 and 1980. Differential suitability of shelterbelt, waste area, and fencerow/roadside habitat types also was examined. Stepwise discriminant analysis revealed that cottontail use of trap stations was associated with dense woody vegetation and artificial cover.