Mountain-and brown hare genetic polymorphisms to survey local adaptations and conservation status of the heath hare (Lepus timidus sylvaticus, Nilsson 1831)

Abstract

We provide the first whole genome sequences from three specimens of the mountain hare subspecies the heath hare (Lepus timidus sylvaticus), along with samples from two mountain hares (Lepus timidus timidus) and two brown hares (Lepus europaeus) from Sweden. The heath hare has a unique grey winter pelage as compared to other mountain hares (white) and brown hares (mostly brown), and face regional extinction, likely due to competitive exclusion from the non-native brown hare. Whole genome resequencing from the seven hare specimens were mapped to the Lepus timidus pseudoreference genome and used for detection of 11,363,883 polymorphic nucleotide positions. The data presented here could be useful for addressing local adaptations and conservation status of mountain hares and brown hares in Sweden, including unique subspecies.

Published in

Scientific Data
2022, volume: 9, article number: 667
Publisher: NATURE PORTFOLIO

SLU Authors

• Spong, Göran

  • Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Thulin, Carl-Gustaf

  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Global goals (SDG)

SDG15 Life on land

UKÄ Subject classification

Animal and Dairy Science
Bioinformatics and Systems Biology

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01794-5

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/119925