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Brown hares on the edge: Genetic population structure of the Danish brown hare

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Abstract

Denmark lies on the edge of the distributional range of the brown hareLepus europaeus Pallas, 1778, where population differentiation is most likely to occur. A total of 369 brown hares from eight geographically distinct Danish European brown hare populations were used to study the genetic population structure. In all, 480bp of the mitochondrial D-loop were sequenced in both directions. Observed genetic diversity (π) was relatively low (π=0.41%) while haplotype diversity (h=0.808) and the number of unique haplotypes (19) were similar to levels found in other European brown hare populations. The observed population structure was pronounced (pairwise conventionalF ST and ϕ st ranged between 6.9–57% and 5–69.8%, respectively). There was no correlation between the geographic and the genetic distance. Population structure was influenced by genetic drift, anthropogenic effects (eg translocation and escapes from hare-farms) and by post-glacial recolonization from southern refuges or refuges north east of the Black Sea. Analysis of historical population expansion/fluctuation events indicated that the populations have experienced different demographic events in the recent past. Relatively high sequence divergence between some populations might be explained by multiple recolonization events after the last Pleistocene glaciations or by stocking effects. Colonization from southern refuges was supported by the observation that haplotype 2 in the Danish brown hare was identical to the central European ancestral haplotype c07.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Wildlife Ecology and Biodiversity, National Environmental Research Institute, University of Aarhus, Kalø, Grenåvej 14, DK-8410, Rønde, Denmark

    Liselotte W. Andersen & Trine Wincentz

  2. Department of Ecology and Genetics, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Aarhus, Ny Munkegade, building 1540, 8000, Århus C, Denmark

    Tina Fredsted & Cino Pertoldi

  3. Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 17-230, Białowieża, Poland

    Cino Pertoldi

Authors
  1. Liselotte W. Andersen
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  2. Tina Fredsted
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  3. Trine Wincentz
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  4. Cino Pertoldi
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Correspondence to Liselotte W. Andersen.

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Associate editor was Magdalena Niedziałkowska.

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Andersen, L.W., Fredsted, T., Wincentz, T. et al. Brown hares on the edge: Genetic population structure of the Danish brown hare. Acta Theriol 54, 97–110 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03193166

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03193166

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