scholarly journals Genetic evidence for survival of released captive-bred brown hares Lepus europaeus during restocking operations in Greece

Oryx ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 548-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Costas Stamatis ◽  
Franz Suchentrunk ◽  
Hakan Sert ◽  
Costas Triantaphyllidis ◽  
Zissis Mamuris
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Reproductive Cycle ◽  
Dna Markers ◽  
Nuclear Gene ◽  
Nuclear Genes ◽  
Lepus Europaeus ◽  
Gene Pools ◽  
Brown Hare ◽  
Foreign Genes

AbstractTo prevent the decline of the brown hare Lepus europaeus, especially as a result of hunting pressure, restocking programmes, using hares from elsewhere, were carried out in Greece up to 2001. Using diagnostic RFLP mitochondrial DNA markers we traced the origins of released captive-bred brown hares. We provide evidence that released animals survived long enough to have at least one reproductive cycle and to transmit their genome. If, in the long-term, introgressed foreign genes survive, forming new genotypes with indigenous genes, this would demonstrate that they are successful in terms of competition. As nuclear gene pools are not markedly divergent between Greek and other European hares foreign nuclear genes should not be a serious handicap. Hence, in certain situations release programmes may be appropriate.

Census of the Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) at Leveste, Municipality of Gehrden, Germany

2013 ◽  
pp. 168-171
Author(s):  
Gabor von Bethlenfalvy ◽  
Julia Hindersin ◽  
Egbert Strauß
Keyword(s):  
Arable Land ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Lepus Europaeus ◽  
Brown Hare ◽  
Lower Saxony ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring

The case study used spotlight strip census routes to estimate Brown Hare numbers in a 793 ha hunting district. The habitats, dominated by intensively farmed arable land were also mapped. This is part of a Germany-wide long-term monitoring program of game populations which is carried out by hunters and was initiated by the German Hunters’ Association and the Hunters’ Association of Lower Saxony in 2001.

scholarly journals Mitochondrial DNA-based diversity study of Hungarian brown hares (Lepus europaeus Pallas 1778)

2016 ◽  
pp. 23-29
Author(s):  
Noémi Soós ◽  
Szilvia Kusza
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Haplotype Diversity ◽  
Lepus Europaeus ◽  
Brown Hare ◽  
High Genetic Diversity ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
European Continent ◽  
Hair Samples ◽  
D Loop

The brown hare being an important game species which is widespread across the European continent has been in focus of many population genetic studies. However only a few comprising researches can be found on the diversity of Central-European populations. The aim of our large scale long term ongoing study is to fill this gap of information on the species by describing the genetic history and structure of the brown hare populations of the area using both mitochondrial DNA markers and genomic skin and hair colour regulating genes. This article gives forth a part of our results concerning the mitochondrial DNA diversity of Hungarian brown hares based on amplification of a 512 bp long D-loop sequence. N=39 tissue or hair samples have been collected from 15 sampling sites on the Hungarian Great Plain. We have described a high level of haplotype diversity (Hd=0.879±0.044) based on a 410 bp alignment of our sequences. We have found 17 haplotypes within our sample set with the nucleotid diversity of π=0.01167±0.0022. Our ongoing research shows high genetic diversity for the brown hare in the studied region and a second alignment with 156 sequences downloaded from GenBank indicates a geographic pattern of haplotypes among the studied populations though these results need confirmation by our further analyses.

scholarly journals On gene pool divergence of the brown hare (Lepus europaeus, Pallas) in Vojvodina

2004 ◽  
pp. 13-20
Author(s):  
Mihajla Djan ◽  
Ljiljana Vapa ◽  
Dragana Obreht ◽  
Milan Vapa ◽  
Vukoman Selmic
Keyword(s):  
Gene Pool ◽  
Nuclear Gene ◽  
Allozyme Variation ◽  
Lepus Europaeus ◽  
Starch Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Brown Hare ◽  
Average Heterozygosity ◽  
Animal Survival ◽  
Starch Gel ◽  
Hare Population

Today it is widely accepted that a conservation of genetic diversity increases chances of animal survival. The aim of this study was investigation of gene pool divergence of the brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in Vojvodina. Allozymic diversity of 60 brown hares from different localities in Vojvodina was studied by polyacrylamide and starch gel electrophoresis at 31 putative structural gene loci. Only five loci: Idh-2, Pgd, Pgm, Es-1 and Es-D were polymorphic, possessing 2 to 6 different alleles. The value of average heterozygosity (Ho) was 0.0427, while polymorphism (P99%) was 8.4%. Nei's values of genetic distance (ranged from 0.000 to 0.029) and modified Roger's distance (ranged from 0.030 to 0.181) were calculated among hare populations. Apart from the relatively high values of heterozygosity and polymorphism, the nuclear gene pool diversity of brown hare population in Vojvodina based on allozyme variation is low and corresponds to the data obtained for the populations in Austria and Central Europe.

scholarly journals The ubiquitous mountain hare mitochondria: multiple introgressive hybridization in hares, genus Lepus

2008 ◽  
Vol 363 (1505) ◽  
pp. 2831-2839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo C Alves ◽  
José Melo-Ferreira ◽  
Hélder Freitas ◽  
Pierre Boursot
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Introgressive Hybridization ◽  
Nuclear Gene ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Phylogenetic Inference ◽  
Lepus Europaeus ◽  
Mountain Hare ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Climatic Oscillations ◽  
Northern Half

Climatic oscillations during the glaciations forced dramatic changes in species distributions, such that some presently temperate regions were alternately occupied by temperate and arctic species. These species could have met and hybridized during climatic transitions. This phenomenon happened for three hare species present in Iberia ( Lepus granatensis , Lepus europaeus and Lepus castroviejoi ), which display high frequencies of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from Lepus timidus , an arctic/boreal species presently extinct in Iberia. Here, we extend our previous geographical survey to determine whether the distribution of this mtDNA lineage extends beyond the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula, where it is found at high frequencies. We also review the taxonomy, distribution and molecular phylogeny of the genus Lepus . The phylogenetic inference reveals the presence of L. timidus -like mtDNA in several other hare species in Asia and North America, suggesting that the mitochondrial introgression observed in Iberia might be generalized. Comparison with the available nuclear gene phylogenies suggests that introgression could have happened repeatedly, possibly during different climatic transitions. We discuss demographic and adaptive scenarios that could account for the repetition in time and space of this spectacular phenomenon and suggest ways to improve our understanding of its determinants and consequences. Such high levels of introgressive hybridization should discourage attempts to revise hare taxonomy based solely on mtDNA.

First comprehensive insights into nuclear and mitochondrial DNA based population structure of Near East mountain brook newts (Salamandridae: genus Neurergus) suggest the resurrection of Neurergus derjugini

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf Hendrix ◽  
Jürgen Fleck ◽  
Willi Schneider ◽  
Christoph Schneider ◽  
Daniel Geller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Genetic Differentiation ◽  
Control Region ◽  
Near East ◽  
Nuclear Gene ◽  
Mitochondrial Control Region ◽  
Original Description ◽  
Nuclear Genes ◽  
High Genetic Diversity ◽  
Geographic Ranges

Due to their extraordinary coloration, mountain brook newts of the genus Neurergus found in the Near East have fascinated herpetologists since their initial description more than 150 years ago. Although the monophyly of Neurergus newts within the Salamandridae has been unambiguously shown for mitochondrial genes, and recent comprehensive molecular phylogenies placed Neurergus as a sister taxon of banded newts (genus Ommatotriton), we know almost nothing about the structure and relatedness of populations at the intraspecific level. In this study, we therefore analysed sequence variation of a mitochondrial DNA segment (covering a partial region of the control region and the 12S ribosomal RNA) from more than 100 individuals and of two nuclear genes (KIAA and SACS) for a representative subset of individuals originating from nine distinct populations, representing N. strauchii, N. crocatus and N. microspilotus. We also studied individuals of N. derjugini, a taxon that has long been synonymized as N. crocatus, and of which individuals have not been accessible to the scientific community since its original description in 1916. Our results suggest high genetic diversity of populations within species for the mitochondrial DNA marker, while the resolution of applied nuclear genes did not go beyond the level of species. For N. strauchii and N. crocatus, two species that inhabit the largest geographic ranges within the genus, we found a high proportion of diversity both within and between populations for the mitochondrial control region. Individuals of N. microspilotus and N. derjugini only displayed considerable genetic differentiation for one nuclear gene (SACS), while only very little or none genetic differentiation could be found for the mitochondrial control region and the KIAA gene, respectively. As both taxa are also morphologically not well differentiated, we suggest on the basis of the current dataset to taxonomically synonymize N. microspilotus due to priority reasons as N. derjugini. It can be therefore concluded that the most accurate taxonomy of the genus Neurergus should consider N. crocatus, N. strauchii, N. kaiseri and N. derjugini as valid taxonomic units at the species level.

scholarly journals Large-scale mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals new light on the phylogeography of Central and Eastern-European Brown hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. e0204653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Reza Ashrafzadeh ◽  
Mihajla Djan ◽  
László Szendrei ◽  
Algimantas Paulauskas ◽  
Massimo Scandura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Lepus Europaeus ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Brown Hare ◽  
European Brown Hare ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna Analysis

Mitochondrial DNA Introgression at the Northern Edge of the Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) Range

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 15-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riikka Levänen ◽  
Mervi Kunnasranta ◽  
Jaakko Pohjoismäki
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Lepus Europaeus ◽  
Brown Hare ◽  
Northern Edge
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