Context: Some prey species can shift their daily activity patterns to reduce the risk of encountering predators, and, in turn, predators develop strategies to increase their chances of meeting prey. European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is a key species in Iberian Mediterranean ecosystems. It is the main prey for many vertebrate predators. It is also a game species and is often the target of management measures such as translocations.

Aims: To test whether rabbits adjust their activity patterns in response to differing predation regimes in a management context.

Methods: Rabbits were translocated from a donor area, with a high rabbit density, to a release area in central Spain, with a semi-permeable fenced plot and an unfenced plot, which had no rabbits before the translocation. We estimated daily activity patterns and relative abundance index (RAI) for mesocarnivores and rabbits by using camera-traps, and calculated Jacobs selection index (JSI) to classify each species in a diel period. Additionally, we calculated the activity overlap between prey and mesocarnivores in the different areas.

Key results: Rabbits were nocturnal in the donor area, where only two mesocarnivore species were detected, red fox (Vulpes vulpes, with a high RAI) and Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon, with a low RAI). However, in the unfenced area, where five mesocarnivore species were present, rabbits showed a crepuscular trend with two activity peaks, around sunrise and around sunset. In contrast, rabbits showed a nocturnal activity in the fenced plot, where four mesocarnivore species were detected but where only the Egyptian mongoose (strictly diurnal) had a high RAI value.

Conclusions and implications: The results suggest that rabbits in the fenced plot adapted their activity to avoid the diurnal mongooses. Conversely, rabbits in unfenced areas showed a trend towards day/twilight activity patterns as an adaptation to a diverse community of mesocarnivores. Rabbits can adapt their daily activity patterns to reduce predation risk depending on the pressure exerted by different predator species, with conservation and management implications. These adaptations would allow higher success of rabbit translocations despite the risk of predation by carnivores and could help in the management design of future translocations of this key species.

背景：某些猎物物种可以改变其日常活动方式，以减少遇到捕食者的风险，进而，捕食者制定策略以增加其与猎物交会的机会。欧洲兔（穴兔）是伊比利亚地中海生态系统中的关键物种。它是许多脊椎动物捕食者的主要猎物。它也是一种游戏物种，通常是易位等管理措施的目标。

目的：测试兔子在管理环境中是否根据不同的捕食方式调整其活动模式。

方法：将兔从高密度兔的供体区转移到西班牙中部的一个释放区，该区有一个半渗透的围栏地块和一个无围栏的地块，在迁移前没有兔子。我们使用相机诱捕器估算了食肉动物和兔子的日常活动模式和相对丰度指数（RAI），并计算了Jacobs选择指数（JSI）来对Diel时期的每个物种进行分类。此外，我们计算了不同区域中食肉动物和中食肉动物之间的活动重叠。

主要结果：兔子在供体区域是夜间活动的，仅检测到两种中食肉动物物种，即红狐狸（Vulpes vulpes，RAI高）和埃及猫鼬（Herpestes ichneumon，RAI低）。然而，在无围栏区域，存在五种中食肉动物物种，兔子在日出和日落前后都表现出具有两个活动峰值的脉动趋势。相比之下，兔子在围栏中表现出夜间活动，其中发现了四种中食肉动物物种，但是只有埃及猫鼬（严格昼夜）的RAI值很高。

结论和意义：结果表明，围栏内的兔子适应了它们的活动，避免了昼夜猫鼬。相反，在无围栏区域的兔子，由于适应了各种食肉动物而呈现出日间/黄昏活动模式的趋势。兔子可以根据不同捕食者物种所施加的压力来调整其日常活动模式，以降低捕食风险，从而带来保护和管理的意义。尽管有食肉动物捕食的危险，这些适应将使兔易位获得更高的成功，并可能有助于该关键物种未来易位的管理设计。