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<p>The Italian hare (<i>Lepus corsicanus</i>) is a lagomorph endemic to central–southern Italy and Sicily, listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Despite growing conservation interest, its gut microbiota has not been previously described. Here, we provide the first characterization of the prokaryotic gut microbiota of wild <i>L. corsicanus</i> from Sicily. Cecal samples from legally harvested individuals were analyzed by sequencing the V3–V4 region of the bacterial 16&#xa0;S rRNA gene, examining variation in relation to host age, sex, and habitat clusters. The microbiota was dominated by <i>Bacillota</i> and <i>Bacteroidota</i>, followed by <i>Actinomycetota</i>, with families such as <i>Ruminococcaceae</i>, <i>Rickenellaceae</i>, and <i>Bacteroidaceae</i> being predominant. Alpha diversity, measured as the number of Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) and Shannon index, showed no differences between sexes but was significantly higher in juveniles than adults, as a probable consequence of different feeding behaviors. Habitat clustering did not significantly affect alpha diversity nor beta diversity. Nevertheless, phylogeny-based presence/absence analysis revealed limited differences, and differential abundance analysis highlighted specific taxa as more prevalent in certain clusters, calling for further investigations on habitat influence. Overall, our findings support the importance of establishing species-specific microbial baselines and provide a reference dataset for <i>L. corsicanus</i>, which represents a fundamental step to integrate gut microbiota into conservation-oriented research on this endemic species.</p>

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Unveiling the gut microbiota of the Italian hare (Lepus corsicanus): a first characterization from Sicily

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月4日

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  • Flavio Vallone,
  • Martina Tenuzzo,
  • Giorgia Romeo,
  • Valter Trocchi,
  • Fabio Macchioni,
  • Claudia Vannini

摘要

The Italian hare (Lepus corsicanus) is a lagomorph endemic to central–southern Italy and Sicily, listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Despite growing conservation interest, its gut microbiota has not been previously described. Here, we provide the first characterization of the prokaryotic gut microbiota of wild L. corsicanus from Sicily. Cecal samples from legally harvested individuals were analyzed by sequencing the V3–V4 region of the bacterial 16 S rRNA gene, examining variation in relation to host age, sex, and habitat clusters. The microbiota was dominated by Bacillota and Bacteroidota, followed by Actinomycetota, with families such as Ruminococcaceae, Rickenellaceae, and Bacteroidaceae being predominant. Alpha diversity, measured as the number of Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) and Shannon index, showed no differences between sexes but was significantly higher in juveniles than adults, as a probable consequence of different feeding behaviors. Habitat clustering did not significantly affect alpha diversity nor beta diversity. Nevertheless, phylogeny-based presence/absence analysis revealed limited differences, and differential abundance analysis highlighted specific taxa as more prevalent in certain clusters, calling for further investigations on habitat influence. Overall, our findings support the importance of establishing species-specific microbial baselines and provide a reference dataset for L. corsicanus, which represents a fundamental step to integrate gut microbiota into conservation-oriented research on this endemic species.