Ecosystem disturbances, such as wildfires, are driving forces that determine ecology and conservation measures. Species respond differentially to wildfires, having diverse post-fire population evolution. This study reports, for first time, the responses of brown hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778) to wildfires. Hare relative abundance, age ratio, diet quality, body condition, and diseases were studied. Fire influence on vegetation was calculated at a micro-scale level. Hare abundance was lower the first year after wildfires in burned relative to unburned areas. The reverse was found in the second year when hare abundance was higher in burned areas. Hare abundance in burned areas was also higher in the third and fourth years. In the fifth and sixth years after wildfire no significant difference was found in abundance. At a micro-scale level, higher numbers of hare feces were counted in places with greater wildfire influence on vegetation. Age ratio analysis revealed more juveniles in burned areas, but the same number of neonates in burned and unburned areas, indicating lower mortality of juveniles in burned areas. Reduced predation in burned areas provides the most plausible explanation for our findings.
Epidemiological studies of disease ecology typically ignore the influence of host sex, age, nutritional condition and immunocompetence factors. However, this can lead to shortcomings and incorrect conclusions regarding the mechanisms of pathogen transmission and prevalence in wild animals. In many European countries, European Brown Hare Syndrome Virus (EBHSV) causes a disease lethal to brown hares Lepus europaeus. Associations of EBHSV infection, sex, age, body condition and spleen mass were studied in hares collected, from the prefectures of Chalkidiki and Thessaloniki, Hellas, during the hunting season. Data showed a sex‐biased prevalence with twice as many males infected with EBHSV than females (P = 0.061), indicating a sexual dimorphism in disease exposure or susceptibility. EBHSV infection was not related to hare body condition (P = 0.853). Adults had significantly greater spleen mass than young hares (P = 0.003), indicating past infections. Significantly greater spleen mass was found in hares positive for EBHSV (P = 0.010) and a negative relation was found between spleen mass and body condition (P = 0.038), indicating energy consumption for immune defense investment. The present study is one of the few that examine the relevance of individual risk factors in understanding patterns of viral infections in natural populations of wild animals.
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