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.2015 Jul 31;10(7):e0134278.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134278. eCollection 2015.

The European Hare (Lepus europaeus): A Picky Herbivore Searching for Plant Parts Rich in Fat

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The European Hare (Lepus europaeus): A Picky Herbivore Searching for Plant Parts Rich in Fat

Stéphanie C Schai-Braun et al. PLoS One..

Abstract

European hares of both sexes rely on fat reserves, particularly during the reproduc-tive season. Therefore, hares should select dietary plants rich in fat and energy. However, hares also require essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) such as linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) to reproduce and survive. Although hares are able to absorb PUFA selectively in their gastrointestinal tract, it is unknown whether this mechanism is sufficient to guarantee PUFA supply. Thus, diet selection may involve a trade-off between a preference for energy versus a preference for crucial nutrients, namely PUFA. We compared plant and nutrient availability and use by hares in an arable landscape in Austria over three years. We found that European hares selected their diet for high energy content (crude fat and crude protein), and avoided crude fibre. There was no evidence of a preference for plants rich in LA and ALA. We conclude that fat is the limiting resource for this herbivorous mammal, whereas levels of LA and ALA in forage are sufficiently high to meet daily requirements, especially since their uptake is enhanced by physiological mechanisms. Animals selected several plant taxa all year round, and preferences did not simply correlate with crude fat content. Hence, European hares might not only select for plant taxa rich in fat, but also for high-fat parts of preferred plant taxa. As hares preferred weeds/grasses and various crop types while avoiding cereals, we suggest that promoting heterogeneous habitats with high crop diversity and set-asides may help stop the decline of European hares throughout Europe.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests:The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Kernel density estimates for dry matter components available and used by European hares.
Kernel density estimates for dry matter (DM) components (a) carbohydrates, (b) crude fat, (c) crude fibre and (d) crude protein [mg/g], available to and used by European hares (n = 263). Used components (in the diet) are indicated in white; available components (in the forage sampled in the habitat) are indicated by grey shading.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Chesson’s Electivity Indices of the different fatty acids.
Chesson’s Electivity Indices in European hares (n = 269) and their distributions of 1000 bootstrap resamples (mean and 95% confidence interval) of the different fatty acids (FA). See text for details of statistics.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Chesson’s Electivity Indices for plant taxa.
Chesson’s Electivity Indices in European hares (n = 399) and their distributions of 1000 bootstrap resamples (mean and 95% confidence interval) for plant taxa selected by n≥7 hares (sample size in brackets is the number of hares selecting each plant taxon). Non-significant results cross the vertical line at zero. See text for details of statistics.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Chesson’s Electivity Indices for plant groups.
Chesson’s Electivity Indices in European hares (n = 399) and their distributions of 1000 bootstrap resamples (mean and 95% confidence interval) for plant groups which were selected by n≥7 hares (sample size in brackets is the number of hares selecting the respective plant groups). Non-significant results cross the vertical line at zero. See text for details of statistics.
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The study was funded by the Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung, the Hunting Societies of Austria, and the Verein Grünes Keuz. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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