Abstract
The European hare (Lepus europaeus) was introduced in the late 19th century in Argentina and has since rapidly expanded northwards, currently occupying the Brazilian south and southeast. Although European hare is known to be a farmland specialist in its native Europe, what habitat types or landscape features are facilitating its expansion in the Neotropics are not yet clear. Here we assessed support to the disturbance and biotic resistance hypotheses as general drivers of this invasion. We sampled with camera-traps and track surveys 205 sites in three landscapes in southeastern Brazil. We used occupancy models that corrected for both false positive and false negative errors. The disturbance hypothesis was the top-ranked (w = 0.66) with the amount of field, sugarcane, and managed forests all affecting strongly and positively hare occupancy. Support to the biotic resistance hypothesis was lower (ΔAICc = 2.14; w = 0.23) and partial, since only native forests showed a negative effect on hare occupancy. Our findings indicate that in the expansion front occupancy of this invader is mainly dictated by niche opportunities created by native habitat transformation into agricultural lands. The biotic resistance imposed by remaining native habitats seems to play a secondary role and only due to native forests. We conclude that hare geographical expansion should increase given the prominent role of Brazil as a commodity producer and exporter. Nevertheless, fomenting forested protected areas and improving adherence of rural owners to the Brazilian Forest Act, which protects forests in private rural properties, might help lessen this spread.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson DR, Burnham KP (1999) Understanding information criteria for selection among capture-recapture or ring recovery models. Bird Study 46:S14–S21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063659909477227
Anderson DR, Burnham KP (2002) Avoiding pitfalls when using information-theoretic method. J Wildl Manage 66:912–918
Angelici FM, Riga F, Boitani L, Luiselli L (1999) Use of dens by radiotracked brown hares Lepus europaeus. Behav Process 47:205–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0376-6357(99)00064-9
Auricchio P, Olmos F (1999) Northward range extension for the european hare, Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778 (Lagomorpha–Leporidae) in Brazil. Publicações Avulsas do Inst Pau Bras 2:1–5
Barbar F, Lambertucci SA (2018) The roles of leporid species that have been translocated: a review of their ecosystem effects as native and exotic species. Mamm Rev 48:245–260. https://doi.org/10.1111/mam.12126
Barbar F, Lambertucci SA (2019) Introduced lagomorph produce stronger potential apparent competition in invaded communities than any other species in a similar but native food web. Biol Invasions 21:3735–3740. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-02082-x
Barbar F, Hiraldo F, Lambertucci SA (2016) Medium-sized exotic prey create novel food webs: the case of predators and scavengers consuming lagomorphs. PeerJ 4:e2273. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2273
Becker M, Dalponte JC (2013) Rastros de Mamíferos Silvestres Brasileiros, 3rd edn. Um Guia de Campo, Rio de Janeiro
Blackburn TM, Pyšek P, Bacher S et al (2011) A proposed unified framework for biological invasions. Trends Ecol Evol 26:333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2011.03.023
Bonino N, Shriller A, Manacorda MM, Larosa F (1997) Food partitioning between the mara (Dolichotis patagonum) and the introduced hare (Lepus europaeus) in the Monte desert, Argentina. Stud Neotrop Fauna Environ 32:129–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650521.1997.10383072
Bonino N, Cossíos D, Menegheti J (2010) Dispersal of the European hare, Lepus europaeus in South America. Folia Zool 59:9–15
Borges PAL, Tomás WM (2008) Guia de rastros e outros vestígios de mamíferos do Pantanal, 2nd edn. Embrapa Pantanal, Corumbá
Brancalion PHS, Garcia LC, Loyola R et al (2016) A critical analysis of the Native Vegetation Protection Law of Brazil (2012): updates and ongoing initiatives. Nat Conserv 14:1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ncon.2016.03.003
Brzeziecki B, Bielak K, Bolibok L et al (2018) Structural and compositional dynamics of strictly protected woodland communities with silvicultural implications, using Białowieża Forest as an example. Ann For Sci 75:75–89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-018-0767-x
Buenavista S, Palomares F (2018) The role of exotic mammals in the diet of native carnivores from South America. Mamm Rev 48:37–47. https://doi.org/10.1111/mam.12111
Burnham KP, Anderson DR (2001) Kullback-Leibler information as a basis for strong inference in ecological studies. Wildl Res 28:111–119
Burnham KP, Anderson DR (2002) Model selection and multimodel inference: a practical information-theoretic approach, 2nd edn. Springer, New York
Burnham KP, Anderson DR, Huyvaert KP (2011) AIC model selection and multimodel inference in behavioral ecology: some background, observations, and comparisons. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 65:23–35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-010-1029-6
Caravaggi A, Montgomery WI, Reid N (2015) Range expansion and comparative habitat use of insular, congeneric lagomorphs: invasive European hares Lepus europaeus and endemic Irish hares Lepus timidus hibernicus. Biol Invasions 17:687–698. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-014-0759-1
Carlsson NOL, Sarnelle O, Strayer DL (2009) Native predators and exotic prey—an acquired taste? Front Ecol Environ 7:525–532. https://doi.org/10.1890/080093
Chambert T, Miller DAW, Nichols JD (2015) Modeling false positive detections in species occurrence data under different study designs. Ecology 96:332–339. https://doi.org/10.1890/14-1507.1
Chapman JA, Flux JEC (1990) Rabbits, Hares and Pikas: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Lagomorph Specialist Group. Gland, Switzerland
Chapuis J (1990) Comparison of the diets of two sympatric lagomorphs, Lepus europaeus (Pallas) and Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.) in an agroecosystem of the Ile-de-France. Zeitschrift für Säugetierkd 55:176–185
Chongsuvivatwong V (2018) epiDisplay: epidemiological data display package. R package version 3.5.0.1. https://cran.r-project.org/package=epiDisplay
Clavero M, García-Berthou E (2005) Invasive species are a leading cause of animal extinctions. Trends Ecol Evol 20:110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2005.01.003
Cohen J (1960) A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales. Educ Psychol Meas 20:37–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316446002000104
Costa MD, Fernandes FAB (2010) Primeiro registro de Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778 (Mammalia, Lagomorpha, Leporidae) no sul do Estado de Minas Gerais e uma síntese dos registros conhecidos para o sudeste do Brasil. Rev Bras Zoociências 12:311–314
Crooks JA, Chang AL, Ruiz GM (2010) Aquatic pollution increases the relative success of invasive species. Biol Invasions 13:165–176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-010-9799-3
da Rosa CA, de Almeida Curi NH, Puertas F, Passamani M (2017) Alien terrestrial mammals in Brazil: current status and management. Biol Invasions 19:2101–2123. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-017-1423-3
Davis M (2011) Don’t judge species on their origins. Nature 474:153–154
de Angelo C, Paviolo A, Di Blanco Y et al (2008) Guía de Huellas de los Mamíferos de Misiones y otras áreas del subtrópico de Argentina. Ediciones del Subtrópico
Bordonal R de O, Carvalho JLN, Lal R et al (2018) Sustainability of sugarcane production in Brazil. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 38:13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-018-0490-x
de Faria GMM, Rosa CA, Castro Correâ GL et al (2015) Geographic distribution of the European hare (Lepus europaeus) in Brazil and new records of occurrence for the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes. Mammalia 80:497–505. https://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2015-0036
Dénes FV, Tella JL, Zulian V et al (2018) Combined impacts of multiple non-native mammals on two life stages of a critically endangered Neotropical tree. Biol Invasions 20:3055–3068. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1758-4
Dick CW (2001) Genetic rescue of remnant tropical trees by an alien pollinator. Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 268:2391–2396. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2001.1781
Dumont CP, Gaymer CF, Thiel M (2011) Predation contributes to invasion resistance of benthic communities against the non-indigenous tunicate Ciona intestinalis. Biol Invasions 13:2023–2034. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-011-0018-7
Durigan G, Ratter JA (2006) Successional changes in cerrado and cerrado/forest ecotonal vegetation in western São Paulo State, Brazil, 1962–2000. Edinb J Bot 63:119–130. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960428606000357
Elton CS (1958) The ecology of invasions by animals and plants. Springer, Boston
ESRI (2019) ArcGIS Desktop: release 10.2
Evans JS (2018) spatialEco. R package version 1.3-1. https://github.com/jeffreyevans/spatialEco
Gantchoff MG, Belant JL (2015) Anthropogenic and environmental effects on invasive mammal distribution in northern Patagonia, Argentina. Mamm Biol 80:54–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2014.10.001
Gauder M, Graeff-Hönninger S, Claupein W (2011) The impact of a growing bioethanol industry on food production in Brazil. Appl Energy 88:672–679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2010.08.020
Goodland R (1971) A physiognomic analysis of the “Cerrado” vegetation of central Brasil. J Ecol 59:411–419
Grigera DE, Rapoport EH (1983) Status and distribution of the European hare in South America. J Mammal 64:163–166. https://doi.org/10.2307/1380771
Harrell Jr FE (2019) rms: Regression Modeling Strategies. R package version 5.1-4. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=rms
Hobbs RJ, Huenneke LF (1992) Disturbance, diversity, and invasion: implications for conservation. Conserv Biol 6:324–337. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.1992.06030324.x
INMET (2019) Instituto nacional de meteorologia. http://www.inmet.gov.br/portal/. Accessed 2 May 2019
IUCN (2019) Protected area categories. https://www.iucn.org/theme/protected-areas/about/protected-area-categories. Accessed 15 Apr 2019
Jauni M, Gripenberg S, Ramula S (2015) Non-native plant species benefit from disturbance: a meta-analysis. Oikos 124:122–129. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.01416
Jeschke JM, Heger T (2018) Invasion biology: hypotheses and evidence. CABI, Wallingford
Jeschke J, Gómez Aparicio L, Haider S et al (2012) Support for major hypotheses in invasion biology is uneven and declining. NeoBiota 14:1–20. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.14.3435
Jeschke JM, Enders M, Bagni M et al (2018) Hi-Knowledge.org. https://hi-knowledge.org/. Accessed 13 July 2020
Kasper CB, Bastazini VAG, Soares JBG, de Freitas TRO (2012) Abundance of Conepatus chinga (Carnivora, Mephitidae) and other medium-sized mammals in grasslands of southern Brazil. Iheringia Série Zool 102:303–310. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0073-47212012000300009
Kleiman F, González N, Rubel D, Wisniveksy C (2004) Fasciola hepatica (Linnaeus, 1758) (Trematoda, Digenea) en liebres europeas (Lepus europaeus, Pallas 1778) (Lagomorpha, Leporidae) en la región Cordillerana Patagónica, Chubut, Argentina. Parasitol Latinoam 59:68–71. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0717-77122004000100014
Klink CA, Machado RB (2005) A conservação do Cerrado brasileiro. Megadiversidade 1:147–155
Kottek M, Grieser J, Beck C et al (2006) Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 11:1633–1644. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007
Kronka FJN, Matsukuma CK, Nalon MA et al (1993) Inventário florestal do Estado de São Paulo. Secretaria do Meio Ambiente. Instituto Florestal
Lambertini M, Leape J, Marton-Lefèvre J et al (2011) Invasives: a major conservation threat. Science 333:404–405. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.333.6041.404-b
Lantschner MV, Rusch V, Hayes JP (2013) Do exotic pine plantations favour the spread of invasive herbivorous mammals in Patagonia? Austral Ecol 38:338–345. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2012.02411.x
Lees AC, Peres CA (2008) Conservation value of remnant riparian forest corridors of varying quality for Amazonian birds and mammals. Conserv Biol 22:439–449. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2007.00870.x
Levine JM, D’Antonio CM (1999) Elton revisited: a review of evidence linking diversity and invasibility. Oikos 87:15. https://doi.org/10.2307/3546992
Lewandowski K, Nowakowski JJ (1993) Spatial distribution of brown hare Lepus europaeus populations in habitats of various types of agriculture. Acta Theriol (Warsz) 38:435–442. https://doi.org/10.4098/at.arch.93-34
Loveridge R, Wearn OR, Vieira M et al (2016) Movement behavior of native and invasive small mammals shows logging may facilitate invasion in a tropical rain forest. Biotropica 48:373–380. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.12306
Lush L, Ward AI, Wheeler P (2017) Dietary niche partitioning between sympatric brown hares and rabbits. J Zool 303:36–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12461
Lyra-Jorge MC, Ribeiro MC, Ciocheti G et al (2010) Influence of multi-scale landscape structure on the occurrence of carnivorous mammals in a human-modified savanna, Brazil. Eur J Wildl Res 56:359–368. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-009-0324-x
Macgregor-Fors I, Schondube JE (2011) Use of tropical dry forests and agricultural areas by neotropical bird communities. Biotropica 43:365–370. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7429.2010.00709.x
MacKenzie DI, Nichols JD, Lachman GB et al (2002) Estimating site occupancy rates when detection probabilities are less than one. Ecology 83:2248–2255. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2002)083[2248:ESORWD]2.0.CO;2
MacKenzie DI, Nichols JD, Royle JA et al (2006) Occupancy estimation and modeling: inferring patterns and dynamics of species occurrence. Elsevier, Burlington
Magioli M, Moreira MZ, Ferraz KMB et al (2014) Stable Isotope Evidence of Puma concolor (felidae) Feeding Patterns in Agricultural Landscapes in Southeastern Brazil. Biotropica 46:451–460. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.12115
Martin AE, Fahrig L (2012) Measuring and selecting scales of effect for landscape predictors in species-habitat models. Ecol Appl 22:2277–2292. https://doi.org/10.1890/11-2224.1
McClintock BT, Bailey LL, Pollock KH, Simons TR (2010) Experimental investigation of observation error in anuran call surveys. J Wildl Manage 74:1882–1893. https://doi.org/10.2193/2009-321
McGarigal K, Cushman SA, Ene E (2012) FRAGSTATS v4: Spatial Pattern Analysis Program for Categorical and Continuous Maps. Computer software program produced by the authors at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Available at the following web site: http://www.umass.edu/landeco/research/fragstats/fragstats.html
Metzger JP, Bustamante MMC, Ferreira J et al (2019) Why Brazil needs its legal reserves. Perspect Ecol Conserv 17:91–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecon.2019.07.002
Miguet P, Jackson HB, Jackson ND et al (2016) What determines the spatial extent of landscape effects on species? Landsc Ecol 31:1177–1194. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-015-0314-1
Miller DA, Nichols JD, Mcclintock BT et al (2011) Improving occupancy estimation when two types of observational error occur: non-detection and species misidentification. Ecology 92:1422–1428. https://doi.org/10.1890/10-1396.1
Neumann F, Schai-Braun S, Weber D, Amrhein V (2011) European hares select resting places for providing cover. Hystrix Ital J Mammal 22:291–299. https://doi.org/10.4404/Hystrix-22.2-4546
Novaro AJ, Funes MC, Susan Walker R (2000) Ecological extinction of native prey of a carnivore assemblage in Argentine Patagonia. Biol Conserv 92:25–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(99)00065-8
Panek M, Kamieniarz R (1999) Relationship between density of brown hare Lepus europaeus and landscape structure in Poland in the years 1981–1995. Acta Theriol (Warsz) 44:67–75. https://doi.org/10.4098/at.arch.99-7
Paolino RM, Royle JA, Versiani NF et al (2018) Importance of riparian forest corridors for the ocelot in agricultural landscapes. J Mammal 99:874–884. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyy075
Pavliska PL, Riegert J, Grill S, Šálek M (2018) The effect of landscape heterogeneity on population density and habitat preferences of the European hare (Lepus europaeus) in contrasting farmlands. Mamm Biol 88:8–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2017.11.003
Pereira LG do A, Capavede UD, Tavares V da C et al (2019) From a bat’s perspective, protected riparian areas should be wider than defined by Brazilian laws. J Environ Manage 232:37–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.11.033
Petrovan SO, Ward AI, Wheeler PM (2013) Habitat selection guiding agri-environment schemes for a farmland specialist, the brown hare. Anim Conserv 16:344–352. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12002
Puig S, Videla F, Cona MI, Monge SA (2007) Diet of the brown hare (Lepus europaeus) and food availability in northern Patagonia (Mendoza, Argentina). Mamm Biol 72:240–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2006.08.006
QGIS Development Team (2019) QGIS Geographic information system
R Core Team (2018) R: a language and environment for statistical computing
Regolin AL, Cherem JJ, Graipel ME et al (2017) Forest cover influences occurrence of mammalian carnivores within Brazilian Atlantic Forest. J Mammal 98:1721–1731. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyx103
Reid N (2011) European hare (Lepus europaeus) invasion ecology: implication for the conservation of the endemic Irish hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus). Biol Invasions 13:559–569. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-010-9849-x
Rodriguez LF (2006) Can invasive species facilitate native species? Evidence of how, when, and why these impacts occur. Biol Invasions 8:927–939. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-005-5103-3
Roedenbeck IA, Voser P (2008) Effects of roads on spatial distribution, abundance and mortality of brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in Switzerland. Eur J Wildl Res 54:425–437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-007-0166-3
Royle JA, Link WA (2006) Generalized site occupancy models allowing for false positive and false negative errors. Ecology 87:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2006)87[835:GSOMAF]2.0.CO;2
Schlaepfer MA, Sax DF, Olden JD (2011) The potential conservation value of non-native species. Conserv Biol 25:428–437. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2010.01646.x
Severns PM, Warren AD (2008) Selectively eliminating and conserving exotic plants to save an endangered butterfly from local extinction. Anim Conserv 11:476–483. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-1795.2008.00203.x
Shea K, Chesson P (2002) Community ecology theory as a framework for biological invasions. Trends Ecol Evol 17:170–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-5347(02)02495-3
Sher AA, Hyatt LA (1999) The disturbed resource-flux invasion matrix: a new framework for patterns of plant invasion. Biol Invasions 1:107–114. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010050420466
Silva SM, Ruedas LA, Santos LH et al (2019) Illuminating the obscured phylogenetic radiation of South American Sylvilagus Gray, 1867 (Lagomorpha: Leporidae). J Mammal 100:31–44. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyy186
Simberloff D, Martin JL, Genovesi P et al (2013) Impacts of biological invasions: what’s what and the way forward. Trends Ecol Evol 28:58–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2012.07.013
Smith RK, Jennings NV, Robinson A, Harris S (2004) Conservation of European hares Lepus europaeus in Britain: Is increasing habitat heterogeneity in farmland the answer? J Appl Ecol 41:1092–1102. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0021-8901.2004.00976.x
Soares FC, Panisi M, Sampaio H et al (2020) Land-use intensification promotes non-native species in a tropical island bird assemblage. Anim Conserv. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12568
Sogge MK, Sferra SJ, Paxton EH (2008) Tamarix as habitat for birds: implications for riparian restoration in the Southwestern United States. Restor Ecol 16:146–154. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-100X.2008.00357.x
Sparovek G, Barretto A, Klug I, Berndes G (2010) Considerações sobre o Código Florestal brasileiro. Código Florestal, AgLUE, Texto
Strassburg BBN, Brooks T, Feltran-Barbieri R et al (2017) Moment of truth for the Cerrado hotspot. Nat Ecol Evol 1:0099. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0099
Tapper SC, Barnes RFW (1986) Influence of farming practice on the ecology of the brown hare (Lepus europaeus). J Appl Ecol 23:39–52. https://doi.org/10.2307/2403079
Tapper S, Parsons N (1984) The changing status of the Brown hare (Lepus capensis L.) in Britain. Mamm Rev 14:57–70. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2907.1984.tb00339.x
Tapper S, Yalden D (2010) The brown hare. The Mammal Society, Southhampton
Thompson BM, Bodart J, Gruner DS (2019) Community resistance to an invasive forest insect–fungus mutualism. Ecosphere 10:e02609. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2609
Thulin CG (2003) The distribution of mountain hares Lepus timidus in Europe: a challenge from brown hares L. europaeus? Mamm Rev 33:29–42. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2907.2003.00008.x
Timo TPC, Lyra-Jorge MC, Gheler-Costa C, Verdade LM (2015) Effect of the plantation age on the use of Eucalyptus stands by medium to large-sized wild mammals in south-eastern Brazil. iForest - Biogeosci For 8:108–113. https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor1237-008
Vaughan N, Lucas E, Harris S, White PCL (2003) Habitat associations of European hares Lepus europaeus in England and Wales: implications for farmland management. J Appl Ecol 40:163–175. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2664.2003.00784.x
Victor MAM, Cavalli AC, Guillaumon JR, Filho RS (2005) Cem anos de devastação: revisitada 30 anos depois. Ministério do Meio Ambiente, Secretaria de Biodiversidade e Florestas, Brasília
White GC, Burnham KP (1999) Program MARK: survival estimation from populations of marked animals. Bird Study 46:S120–S139. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063659909477239
Zanón Martínez JI, Travaini A, Zapata S et al (2012) The ecological role of native and introduced species in the diet of the puma Puma concolor in southern Patagonia. Oryx 46:106–111. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605310001821
Zenni RD, Ziller SR (2011) An overview of invasive plants in Brazil. Rev Bras Botânica 34:431–446. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-84042011000300016
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP 2011/22449-4). NP thanks Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, 1772007) and FAPESP (2018/11788-1) for providing, respectively, his former and current Ph.D. scholarship. AGC is supported by a research grant from the Brazilian Science Council (CNPq, 303101/2017-2). We would like to thank the Universidade de São Paulo, the International Paper Co. of Brazil, the Fundação Florestal and Instituto Florestal of the state of São Paulo for logistical support during our fieldwork; the Instituto Geográfico Cartográfico do Estado de São Paulo for providing high-resolution aerial orthorectified images used for mapping our study areas, and Dr. Aurélio T. Fontes for his assistance with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and mapping. We would also like to thank Dr. Larissa L. Bailey for providing insightful suggestions regarding occupancy modeling and the two anonymous referees for their valuable comments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
NP, AGC: conception and design of the study. NP, AGC, NFV, RMP, TFR, VGK: data collection and mapping. NP, AGC, DB: statistical analysis and results interpretation. NP: writing original draft. TFR: critical review suggesting improvements through comments. NP, AGC, DB, RMP, VGK: critical review adding improvements through rewriting sentences.
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pasqualotto, N., Boscolo, D., Versiani, N.F. et al. Niche opportunity created by land cover change is driving the European hare invasion in the Neotropics. Biol Invasions 23, 7–24 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-020-02353-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-020-02353-y