Effects of management on genetic diversity and population structure of brown hares (Lepus europaeus) from a Tuscan province

"Introductions and translocations of hares have occurred since historic (and maybe prehistoric) times, in order to provide food sources and possibly for religious reasons. In modern times, hares have been translocated primarily for hunting purposes. During the 1970s and 1980s, restocking practices were usually carried out using heads from breeding stations established in Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. In Italy, many brown hare (Lepus europaeus) populations are managed by annual restocking after the end of hunting season, using either heads bred in eastern Europe or captured in neighboring protected areas, named restocking areas or “ZRC”, that are set aside for the natural reproduction of wildlife.. However, on one hand translocations may seriously affect the historical distribution of populations and species; on the other hand they may lead to the loss of genetic integrity, up to the replacement of local gene pools. Some authors argued that introductions of exotic brown hares into Italy could have caused the near extinction of an Italian endemic subspecies, L. e. meridiei, supposedly arrived to Italy from the Balkans through a land bridge during the Last Glacial Maximum.. In the Arezzo province (Tuscany), several ZRCs were established using heads of local origin, with the aim to recover the local hare population, safeguarding indigenous genetic resources. We evaluated the effectiveness of this management, by sequencing the hypervariable domain 1 of the mitochondrial control region (CR-1) and by analyzing 8 autosomal microsatellite loci, respectively in 65 and 249 hares sampled across the entire province, including ten ZRCs. . Our data were compared with more than 300 mtDNA CR-1 sequences retrieved from GenBank. Twenty-one haplotypes were detected, 14 of which were private. While 5% of the individuals were found to carry haplotypes attributable to past introductions, 41% grouped with the lineage previously identified with L. e. m., which was well-supported in our phylogenetic reconstruction. This is the highest percentage ever reported for this autochthonous line. . Despite of a detectable non-random partition of mitochondrial haplotypes in the province, no genetic structure resulted from the microsatellites analysis. Thus, we found no trace of reproductive barriers among hares carrying different mitochondrial lineages. Nuclear DNA variability levels resulted in the range of other European brown hare populations.. In conclusion, local management has promoted the recovery of a population that inherited native genetic diversity, although levels of gene flow may have been artificially increased and exotic genes may have introgressed from non-native stocks introduced in surrounding areas."