Diet Selection by the Italian Hare (Lepus corsicanus de Winton, 1898) in Two Protected Coastal Areas of Latium

Abstract

This study was focused on the diet and feeding behaviour of Lepus corsicanus in two protected coastal areas of Latium, Castelporziano Presidential Estate (CPE) and Circeo National Park (CNP). Plant frequency was assessed by the quadrat method, while diet composition was determined by microhistological analysis of faecal samples. Over the year, the Italian hare fed on 185 of the 229 plant species identified in vegetation, with most of them ingested in low percentages (≤1%). During the dry season (DS), in both areas, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Cynodon dactylon, and Avena fatua were among the most consumed species. In the wet season (WS) the most common plant species in diet were B. sylvaticum, Poa trivialis, and Carex distachya in CPE and Dactylis glomerata, Cynosurus echinatus, and Spartium junceum in CNP. In both sites, considering the annual selection of life forms, grasses and leguminous forbs were preferred, while non-leguminous forbs and shrubs were used less than expected according to their availability. ANOSIM analysis showed significant differences between sites in DS and WS diets. Our study evidenced that the Italian hare behaved as generalist, revealing its capability for exploiting several plant species and to adapt its diet preferences to space-time variation of food availability.

Effects of Prickly Burnet (Sarcopoterium spinosum (L.) Spach.) Control and Sheep Grazing on Hay Yield and Quality on Gökçeada Island, Turkey

“…As in all rangeland, grazing was the primary factor designating the vegetation model in Mediterranean rangelands [ 25 ]. Since shrubs have stiff structures that are resistant to harsh conditions, their proportion in the botanical composition continuously increased due to grazing; however, the ratio of herbaceous species decreased with grazing, confirming studies in other Mediterranean environments where the presence of wild grazers predominates over livestock [ 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Legumes, for instance, largely withdrew from the rangeland.…”

Pathological and virological insights from an outbreak of European brown hare syndrome in the Italian hare (Lepus corsicanus)

“…Lepus corsicanus is classified as vulnerable according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature in its Red List (Randi and Riga, 2019). The distribution of this endemic species was subjected in the last decades to a substantial contraction accompanied by a significant reduction in the population density, mainly due to habitat alterations, low numbers and fragmented populations, and ecological competition with the sympatric European hare (Buglione et al, 2020;Freschi et al, 2022). The occurrence of EBHS in a protected enclosed area, such as the CPE, represents an important threat to the conservation of this vulnerable species that could possibly lead to the point of extinction of the local population.…”

“…In 1999, the CPE was assigned the status of Natural State Reserve and subjected to protection measures in line with those protecting natural areas. Regarding hares, the CPE hosts a steady L. corsicanus population (latest estimated hare population density of 8.66 hares/km 2 performed in 2015 based on spotlight counts) with no reported presence of L. europaeus (Trocchi and Riga, 2001;Freschi et al, 2022) and apparently no contact with exogenous lagomorph populations. Considering the nature and behaviour of the species involved, although the protected area is fenced, this does not guarantee complete isolation from the brown hare population, which is abundant in the surrounding areas.…”