ArticlePloS one2015
The European Hare (Lepus europaeus): A Picky Herbivore Searching for Plant Parts Rich in Fat.
Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed.
- Grass supplementation to a pellet-based diet fails to enrich gut microbiomes with wild-like functions in captive-bred hares.Microbiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Sympatric Lepus spp. in the central Italian Alps host significantly different gut microbiotas.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Stable Isotope Analysis Reveals Habitat-Driven Dietary Niches ofAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Year-Round Evaluation of the Conservation Potential of Seed-Rich Field Margins Under Agri-Environmental Schemes for Farmland Birds, European Hares, and Common Hamsters.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Plant constituent predictors in the winter diet selection of the imperiled New England Cottontail (Journal of mammalogy · 2025Article
- Feeding Behavior of the European Brown Hare (Veterinary sciences · 2025Article
- Effects of Sex and Hunting Season on Carcass and Meat Quality Characteristics of the Brown Hare (Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Energy expenditure and body composition in a hibernator, the alpine marmot.Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology · 2023Article
- Effects of indirect plant-plant interaction via root exudate on growth and leaf chemical contents inPlant signaling & behavior · 2022Article
- Marine Autotroph-Herbivore Synergies: Unravelling the Roles of Macroalgae in Marine Ecosystem Dynamics.Biology · 2022Review
- Article
- Seed traits matter-Endozoochoric dispersal through a pervasive mobile linker.Ecology and evolution · 2021Article
- Summer Diet of Horses (Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2021Article
- Uncovering the microbiome of invasive sympatric European brown hares and European rabbits in Australia.PeerJ · 2020Article
- Gut microbiota of the European Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus).Scientific reports · 2019Article
- Habitat selection by the European hare in arable landscapes: The importance of small-scale habitat structure for conservation.Ecology and evolution · 2018Article
- Giant panda twin rearing without assistance requires more interactions and less rest of the mother-A case study at Vienna Zoo.PloS one · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
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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