Seasonal changes in the diet of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) from three different Mediterranean habitats in south-western Australia

Abstract

Abstract.�Seasonal changes in the diet of rabbits from three temperate (Mediterranean) areas in south-western Australia were identified using microscopic determination of the percentage occurrence of various food groups in sampled stomachs. The sites differed in soil type and in the availability of summer perennials, native vegetation bush remnants (size of, and number of plant species), improved pastures, and summer rainfall, and hence, enabled a comparison of the diet of rabbits from the different vegetation communities. Although the diet of these rabbits was quite flexible, with some switching in food items occurring between seasons, there were marked differences in the proportion of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous species eaten in each habitat. There was a strong reliance on seeds (1-5 species) during late spring and summer in all three habitats. Guildford grass (Romulea rosea) leaf and corms were a major component of the diet in the two habitats where this species was common. Further, as a result of the summer die-off of pasture species, there was a shift in where rabbits sourced food items during winter and summer. Pasture species were eaten during winter, but rabbits fed mainly on those dicotyledons found only in the surrounding scrub during summer. This suggests that rabbits may impact negatively upon such remnant vegetation at this time. Rabbits in all three habitats consumed several plant species with high water content (>54%) during summer, presumably to help maintain their water balance. Rabbits also consumed the seeds and foliage of several weed/nuisance species in each habitat, but any role of rabbits in weed dispersal was not determined.