The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) was once a common garden visitor in the UK, but populations appear to be in steep decline. As a generalist feeder of macro-invertebrates, this population trend may be indicative of a more general loss of biodiversity and overall ecosystem health. Therefore, habitat preferences of E. europaeus were assessed in order to identify features and habitats in need of enhancement and connectivity.

 

To do this, eight urban and five rural individuals were fitted with GPS tags and monitored for 7-22 days, retrieving data for a total of 182 full survey nights. Compositional analyses were then used to assess second order selection by comparing the proportion of habitat within the home range (90% KDE) to that of the available area (100% MCP). Third order selection then used the same method to compare the utilised habitat (fix locations) with that available within the home range (90% KDE). The only significant selection pattern found here was at the broader spatial scale (second order) at the urban study site (Wilks’ lambda: λ= 0.05, p<0.05).

 

Built-up and grassland habitats were most selected for at both sites, regardless of scale, whereas arable fields and large roads were least selected at the second and third order respectively. Ivlev’s ratio was used alongside the compositional analyses and produced the same ranked order of habitat use. This showed a significant preference of grassland habitat within the home ranges of urban individuals, suggesting that grassland patches are of great importance to those at the urban site. Therefore, preservation of existing areas of grassland in built-up environments, and implementation of such habitats in new developments should be considered.