Hares in Corsica: high prevalence of Lepus corsicanus and hybridization with introduced L. europaeus and L. granatensis

Abstract

The Italian hare, Lepus corsicanus, was first described in Corsica more than 100 years ago, but the knowledge on the status of the species in this island remains scarce. Moreover, frequent introductions of thousands of individuals from other hare species, namely Lepus europaeus and Lepus granatensis, into Corsica are known to have occurred and an updated assessment of the prevalence of L. corsicanus in Corsica is therefore of utmost importance. Here, to estimate the relative prevalence of the hare species present in Corsica, we conducted a molecular analysis on 67 samples collected by hunters between 2002 and 2007 in 36 Corsican communes. Sequencing of portions of the nuclear gene transferrin and of the control region of the mitochondrial DNA allowed classifying most of the collected samples as belonging to L. corsicanus (70.1%). Of the sampled Corsican communes, 86.1% contained this species, while only in 11.1%, L. europaeus was present. Three of the analyzed specimens showed an inconsistent molecular assignment between markers suggesting a hybrid origin: L. corsicanus×L. europaeus, L. corsicanus×L. granatensis, and L. europaeus×L. granatensis. The first two cases of hybridization had never been described in nature, even in studies focusing on hares from Italy where L. corsicanus and L. europaeus are often sympatric. These results stress the real risk of corrosion of the native gene pool of L. corsicanus via hybridization with introduced species. We highlight the need of urgently rethinking the management plan of hare populations in Corsica.

Genetic diversity and no evidences of recent hybridization in the endemic Italian hare (Lepus corsicanus)

“…The occurrence of brown hares in southern Italy is the consequence of recent translocations of non-indigenous hares, and of captive-reproduced stocks that were released for hunting purposes. Therefore those two hares could have originated from natural introgression of Italian hare mtDNA in brown hares or from the undocumented releases of captive-reproduced hybrids (Pietri et al 2011 reported two cases of putative Italian hare x brown hare hybrids in Corsica). Natural hybridization in Italian hares outside their native habitats could be not excluded, as it could be not excluded that these two individuals originated from the release of captivereproduced hybrids.…”

“…As far as we know, historical introgression has been excluded, but ongoing anthropogenic hybridization may still threaten the integrity of the Italian hare gene pool (Pierpaoli et al 1999;Thulin et al 2006). However, studied Italian hare populations were typed using almost only uniparental mtDNA sequences (but see Pietri et al 2011), which may not document the effective degree of reproductive isolation or recent gene flow among contact populations.…”

Biogeography, macroecology and species' traits mediate competitive interactions in the orderLagomorpha

“…Moreover, European hares, Iberian hares and Apennine hares are also known to have hybridized in ancient times (Pietri et al. ). The phenomenon is pervasive, being present also in Asia (Liu et al.…”

The roles of leporid species that have been translocated: a review of their ecosystem effects as native and exotic species

“…There is evidence suggesting that hybridisation was common during Pleistocene glaciations between Lepus timidus, Lepus granatensis, Lepus europaeus, and Lepus castroviejo (Melo-Ferreira et al 2007, Alves et al 2008, and it continues in the present. For instance, genetic evidence shows that Lepus corsicanus is suffering from the effects of hybridisation due to the introduction of Lepus europaeus and Lepus granatensis, which are deteriorating the gene pool of this Vulnerable species (Pietri et al 2011). In Sweden, introduced Lepus europaeus hybridise with Lepus timidus, and, even when gene introgression appears to be low, behavioural differences between the males (where Lepus europaeus males guard females, preventing mating with their conspecifics) may cause the loss of species-specific litters (Thulin 2003, Jansson et al 2007.…”