Determining the conservation status of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) in the Italian Alps using novel epigenetic, metataxonomic and genomic approaches

The mountain hare has been used as a model species to investigate the impact of climate change on Alpine biodiversity from several perspectives. This includes hybridization with the European brown hare and impact of sympatry on their gut microbiota and mountain hare adaptation to different climatic conditions. Moreover, a new genomic panel as been designed to define pure species and hybrids in mammals and different populations within the same species.