Lagomorph Biology Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation

About this book

Lagomorphs are a mammalian order which includes rabbits, hares and pikas. They are distributed throughout the world and are of both scientific and public interest as they are classified between endangered and pest species. In addition, some have a high economic value as important game species. In the last few decades, a huge amount of information was made available to the scientific community and resulted in remarkable advances on all aspects of Lagomorph biology. However, this information is dispersed in multiple scientific and non-scientific journals. This book provides an updated synthesis of the current knowledge on Lagomorph biology.

Contents

Introduction to the Lagomorpha.- Palaeontology and Evolution. Prehistoric and historic artificial dispersal of lagomorphs on the Mediterranean islands. The Lagomorph fossil record and the origin of the European rabbit. Inferring the evolutionary history of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) from molecular markers. Phylogenetic aspects of nuclear and mitochondrial gene-pool characteristics of South and North African cape hares (Lepus capensis) and European brown hares (L. europaeus).- Population Ecology and Dynamics. The world of pikas. When? Where? And for how long? Census design considerations for an alpine Lagomorph, the collared pika (Ochotona collaris). Weather effects on reproduction, survival, and body mass of European rabbits in a temperate zone habitat. Ecosystem engineering effects of European rabbits in a Mediterranean habitat. Forest-fire regime: the missing link to understand hare population fluctuations? Introduced Lagomorphs as a threat to "native" Lagomorphs: The case of the Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) in northern Italy. Testing multiple hypotheses to identify causes of the decline of a lagomorph species: the New England cottontail as a case study.- Physiology and Behaviour. Many common odour cues and (at least) one pheromone shaping the behaviour of young rabbits. Mother-young and within-litter relations in the European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus. Fertility and infertility in the European brown hare Lepus europaeus in Australia. A review of competition between rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and hares (Lepus europaeus). Diseases. European brown hare syndrome. How many caliciviruses are there in rabbits? A review on RHDV and correlated viruses. Geographic and seasonal variation in the impact of rabbit haemorrhagic disease on wild rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, and rabbit damage in Australia.- Conservation and Management. Conservation of endangered Lagomorphs. Managing the wild rabbit: Converging interests between Australian research for rabbit control and European research for their conservation. Improving rabbit restocking success: a review of field experiments in France. Recovering the endangered riparian brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani riparius): reproduction and growth in confinement and survival after translocation. Conservation of critically endangered Lagomorphs: The Tehuantepec jackrabbit (Lepus flavigularis) as an example. A review of the biology and conservation of the Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi).- Concluding Remarks. Overview of Lagomorph research: What we have learned and what we still need to do.

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