A complete reversal in the effects of extrinsic factors on the escape behaviour of European hares over 33 years

Abstract

The flight initiation distance (FID) of prey when escaping from predators is determined by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. We examined the long-term variation of FID and the impact of various factors on the FID of the European hare, using an economic model. We showed that the effects of local neighbour density and the occurrence of free-ranging dogs on the FID reversed from positive to negative, and the effect of resting in wild vegetation compared with crops increased from the 1960s to the 1990s, in a population in western Poland. The change in FID related to these factors might be explained by changes in agricultural landscape, hare density, and predation risk. The FID of hares reflects their risk-taking behaviour and might change in response to habitat deterioration and changes in prey and predator populations.