Abstract
Burrows play an essential role for the European wild rabbit. They provide shelter, a safe breeding place and protection against climatic extremes. However, little is known about burrow structure and the environmental factors influencing it. In this work we analyse the structure of rabbit burrow tunnels in southwestern Spain and search for structural types. In addition, we study the influence of soil composition on burrow tunnel structure. For this purpose, a total number of 122 burrow tunnels were located and measured. A principal component analysis and a two-step cluster analysis were performed to identify burrow tunnel types. Three different types of natural burrow tunnels have been identified. Furthermore, the texture and composition of the soil were found to notably influence burrow tunnel structure. This study shows that rabbits tend to excavate bigger burrow tunnels in soils characterised by sandy soils of a mostly large particle composition, while the higher proportion of small particles in silty soils promotes shorter and narrower burrow tunnels.
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