The Dynamics of Lepus granatensis and Oryctolagus cuniculus in a Mediterranean Agrarian Area: Are Hares Segregating from Rabbit Habitats after Disease Impact?

ABSTRACT: The genera Oryctolagus and Lepus (order Lagomorpha) are essential elements in the trophic chain in the Iberian Peninsula, being the main prey of many predators, including some highly endangered predators such as the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). Myxomatosis, a disease producing tumorations in conjunctive tissues, and produced by the Myxoma Virus, has caused mass mortalities in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) for decades. Recently, the virus has jumped interspecifically from rabbits to hares, and this has created a depletion in hare populations, generating great concern. We analyzed the population dynamics and distribution of both lagomorph species in a Mediterranean agricultural area of the south of Spain since the 1990s with a combination of systematic a

SUBMITTER: Prenda J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9179464 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature