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Bedson CPE, Wheeler PM, Reid N, Harris WE, Mallon D, Caporn S, Preziosi R. Highest densities of mountain hares (
Lepus timidus
) associated with ecologically restored bog but not grouse moorland management. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8744. [PMID: 35386872 PMCID: PMC8968167 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last 20 years, ecological restoration of degraded habitats has become common in conservation practice. Mountain hares (Lepus timidus scoticus) were surveyed during 2017–2021 using 830 km of line transects in the Peak District National Park, England. Historically degraded bog areas were previously reported having low hare numbers. Following bog restoration, we found hare densities of 32.6 individuals km−2, notably higher than neighboring degraded (unrestored) bog with 24.4 hares km−2. Hare density on restored peatland was 2.7 times higher than on bogs managed for grouse shooting at 12.2 hares km−2 and 3.3 times higher than on heather moorland managed for grouse shooting at 10.0 hares km−2. Yearly estimates varied most on habitats managed for grouse, perhaps indicative of the impact of habitat management, for example, heather burning and/or possible hare culling to control potential tick‐borne louping ill virus in gamebirds. Acid grassland used for sheep farming had a similar density to grouse moorland at 11.8 hares km−2. Unmanaged dwarf shrub heath had the lowest density at 4.8 hares km−2. Hare populations are characterized by significant yearly fluctuations, those in the study area increasing by 60% between 2017 and 2018 before declining by ca. 15% by 2020 and remaining stable to 2021. During an earlier survey in 2002, total abundance throughout the Peak District National Park was estimated at 3361 (95% CI: 2431–4612) hares. The present study estimated 3562 (2291–5624) hares suggesting a stable population over the last two decades despite fluctuations likely influenced by weather and anthropogenic factors. Mountain hares in the Peak District favored bog habitats and were associated with restored peatland habitat. Wildlife management should be cognizant of hare density variation between habitats, which may have implications for local extinction risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos P. E. Bedson
- Department of Natural Sciences Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK
| | - Philip M. Wheeler
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences The Open University Milton Keynes UK
| | - Neil Reid
- Institute of Global Food Security (IGFS) School of Biological Sciences Queen’s University Belfast Belfast UK
| | - Wilson Edwin Harris
- Department of Agriculture and Environment Harper Adams University Newport UK
| | - David Mallon
- Department of Natural Sciences Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK
| | - Simon Caporn
- Department of Natural Sciences Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK
| | - Richard Preziosi
- Faculty of Science and Engineering University of Plymouth Devon UK
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2
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Thulin CG, Winiger A, Tallian A, Kindberg J. Hunting harvest data in Sweden indicate precipitous decline in the native mountain hare subspecies Lepus timidus sylvaticus (heath hare). J Nat Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2021.126069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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3
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Reid N, Brommer JE, Stenseth NC, Marnell F, McDonald RA, Montgomery WI. Regime shift tipping point in hare population collapse associated with climatic and agricultural change during the very early 20th century. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:3732-3740. [PMID: 33993582 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Animal populations at northern latitudes may have cyclical dynamics that are degraded by climate change leading to trophic cascade. Hare populations at more southerly latitudes are characterized by dramatic declines in abundance associated with agricultural intensification. We focus on the impact of historical climatic and agricultural change on a mid-latitude population of mountain hares, Lepus timidus hibernicus. Using game bag records from multiple sites throughout Ireland, the hare population index exhibited a distinct regime shift. Contrary to expectations, there was a dynamical structure typical of northern latitude hare populations from 1853 to 1908, during which numbers were stable but cyclic with a periodicity of 8 years. This regime was replaced by dynamics more typical of southern latitude hare populations from 1909 to 1970, in which cycles were lost and numbers declined dramatically. Destabilization of the autumn North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) led to the collapse of similar cycles in the hare population, coincident with the onset of agricultural intensification (a shift from small-to-large farms) in the first half of the 20th century. Similar, but more recent regime shifts have been observed in Arctic ecosystems and attributed to anthropogenic climate change. The present study suggests such shifts may have occurred at lower latitudes more than a century ago during the very early 20th century. It seems likely that similar tipping points in the population collapse of other farmland species may have occurred similarly early but went undocumented. As northern systems are increasingly impacted by climate change and probable expansion of agriculture, the interaction of these processes is likely to disrupt the pulsed flow of resources from cyclic populations impacting ecosystem function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil Reid
- Institute of Global Food Security (IGFS), School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Jon E Brommer
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Nils C Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ferdia Marnell
- National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS), Dublin, Ireland
| | - Robbie A McDonald
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - W Ian Montgomery
- Institute of Global Food Security (IGFS), School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
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4
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Hesford N, Baines D, Smith AA, Ewald JA. Distribution of mountain hares Lepus timidus in Scotland in 2016/2017 and changes relative to earlier surveys in 1995/1996 and 2006/2007. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Hesford
- N. Hesford (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5037-5076) ✉ , D. Baines, A. A. Smith and J. A. Ewald, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, The Coach House, Eggleston, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham, DL12 0AG, UK
| | - David Baines
- N. Hesford (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5037-5076) ✉ , D. Baines, A. A. Smith and J. A. Ewald, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, The Coach House, Eggleston, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham, DL12 0AG, UK
| | - A. Adam Smith
- N. Hesford (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5037-5076) ✉ , D. Baines, A. A. Smith and J. A. Ewald, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, The Coach House, Eggleston, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham, DL12 0AG, UK
| | - Julie A. Ewald
- N. Hesford (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5037-5076) ✉ , D. Baines, A. A. Smith and J. A. Ewald, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, The Coach House, Eggleston, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham, DL12 0AG, UK
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5
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Watson A, Wilson JD. Seven decades of mountain hare counts show severe declines where high‐yield recreational game bird hunting is practised. J Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adam Watson
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Penicuik UK
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6
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La Morgia V, Venturino E. Understanding hybridization and competition processes between hare species: Implications for conservation and management on the basis of a mathematical model. Ecol Modell 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Young JC, Thompson DBA, Moore P, MacGugan A, Watt A, Redpath SM. A conflict management tool for conservation agencies. J Appl Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Des B. A. Thompson
- Scottish Natural Heritage; Silvan House 3rd Floor East 231 Corstorphine Road Edinburgh EH12 7AT UK
| | - Peter Moore
- Scottish Natural Heritage; Silvan House 3rd Floor East 231 Corstorphine Road Edinburgh EH12 7AT UK
| | - Alastair MacGugan
- Scottish Natural Heritage; Silvan House 3rd Floor East 231 Corstorphine Road Edinburgh EH12 7AT UK
| | - Allan Watt
- NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology; Bush Estate Penicuik Midlothian EH26 0QB UK
| | - Stephen Mark Redpath
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Aberdeen; Zoology Building Tillydrone Avenue Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK
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Knipe A, Fowler PA, Ramsay S, Haydon DT, McNeilly AS, Thirgood S, Newey S. The effects of population density on the breeding performance of mountain hareLepus timidus. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.2981/12-109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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9
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Wright LJ, Newson SE, Noble DG. The value of a random sampling design for annual monitoring of national populations of larger British terrestrial mammals. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-013-0768-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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10
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Ehrich D, Henden JA, Ims RA, Doronina LO, Killengren ST, Lecomte N, Pokrovsky IG, Skogstad G, Sokolov AA, Sokolov VA, Yoccoz NG. The importance of willow thickets for ptarmigan and hares in shrub tundra: the more the better? Oecologia 2011; 168:141-51. [PMID: 21833646 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-011-2059-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2010] [Accepted: 06/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In patchy habitats, the relationship between animal abundance and cover of a preferred habitat may change with the availability of that habitat, resulting in a functional response in habitat use. Here, we investigate the relationship of two specialized herbivores, willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) and mountain hare (Lepus timidus), to willows (Salix spp.) in three regions of the shrub tundra zone-northern Norway, northern European Russia and western Siberia. Shrub tundra is a naturally patchy habitat where willow thickets represent a major structural element and are important for herbivores both as food and shelter. Habitat use was quantified using feces counts in a hierarchical spatial design and related to several measures of willow thicket configuration. We document a functional response in the use of willow thickets by ptarmigan, but not by hares. For hares, whose range extends into forested regions, occurrence increased overall with willow cover. The occurrence of willow ptarmigan showed a strong positive relationship to willow cover and a negative relationship to thicket fragmentation in the region with lowest willow cover at landscape scale, where willow growth may be limited by reindeer browsing. In regions with higher cover, in contrast, such relationships were not observed. Differences in predator communities among the regions may contribute to the observed pattern, enhancing the need for cover where willow thickets are scarce. Such region-specific relationships reflecting regional characteristics of the ecosystem highlight the importance of large-scale investigations to understand the relationships of habitat availability and use, which is a critical issue considering that habitat availability changes quickly with climate change and human impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothée Ehrich
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø, Tromso, Norway.
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11
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Dissecting the drivers of population cycles: Interactions between parasites and mountain hare demography. Ecol Modell 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2010.08.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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PATTON V, EWALD JA, SMITH AA, NEWEY S, IASON GR, THIRGOOD SJ, RAYNOR R. Distribution of mountain hares Lepus timidus in Scotland: results from a questionnaire. Mamm Rev 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2907.2010.00162.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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13
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Newey S, Allison P, Thirgood S, Smith AA, Graham IM. Population and individual level effects of over-winter supplementary feeding mountain hares. J Zool (1987) 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2010.00728.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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14
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Harrison A, Newey S, Gilbert L, Haydon DT, Thirgood S. Culling wildlife hosts to control disease: mountain hares, red grouse and louping ill virus. J Appl Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01834.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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15
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Newey S, Allison P, Thirgood SJ, Smith AA, Graham IM. Using PIT-Tag Technology to Target Supplementary Feeding Studies. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2009. [DOI: 10.2981/08-083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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16
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17
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Townsend SE, Newey S, Thirgood SJ, Matthews L, Haydon DT. Can parasites drive population cycles in mountain hares? Proc Biol Sci 2009; 276:1611-7. [PMID: 19203927 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.1669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the drivers of population fluctuations is a central goal of ecology. Although well-established theory suggests that parasites can drive cyclic population fluctuations in their hosts, field evidence is lacking. Theory predicts that a parasite that loosely aggregates in the host population and has stronger impact on host fecundity than survival should induce cycling. The helminth Trichostrongylus retortaeformis in the UK's only native lagomorph, the mountain hare, has exactly these properties, and the hares exhibit strong population fluctuations. Here we use a host-parasite model parametrized using the available empirical data to test this superficial concordance between theory and observation. In fact, through an innovative combination of sensitivity and stability analyses, we show that hare population cycles do not seem to be driven by the parasite. Potential limitations in our parametrization and model formulation, together with the possible secondary roles for parasites in determining hare demography, are discussed. Improving our knowledge of leveret biology and the quantification of harvesting emerge as future research priorities. With the growing concern over the present management of mountain hares for disease control in Scotland, understanding their population drivers is an important prerequisite for the effective management of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunny E Townsend
- Division of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
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