Habitat use by European wildcats (Felis silvestris) in central Spain: what is the relative importance of forest variables?

• Main Author: J. Lozano
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona 2010-01-01
• Series: Animal Biodiversity and Conservation
• Subjects: Abundance; Agricultural steppe; Forest; Habitat; Scrubland; Wildcat
• Online Access: http://abc.museucienciesjournals.cat/files/ABC-33-2-pp-143-150.pdf

Habitat preferences of wildcats are controversial. Although they are usually considered a forest species, alternative environments such as scrubland can be preferred. In this study we compared five habitattypes in relation to wildcat occurrence. Sampling was carried out between 2001 and 2002 on a series of transects in search of wildcat scats to calculate an abundance index. Structural variables of landscape and rabbit abundance were also estimated and summarised as orthogonal factors using a principal component analysis (PCA). A priori contrasts showed that wildcats tended to be more abundant in areas with Mediterranean mountain vegetation, although agricultural steppes also provided suitable habitat. The forest variables were not included in the general linear model (GLM) obtained, indicating that wildcats are mainly associated with scrubland mosaicswith rabbits in this region.