FNew domesticated animals flourished, as did rabbits, when reintroduced into the wild – a phenomenon that often had economic and ecological consequences. And now a team of researchers has discovered why rabbits have been so successful in re-adapting to the wild.
In a study published in the journal Ecology and Evolution of Nature on June 21, researchers worked to determine what factors make the furry creatures such masterful colonizers of countries around the world.
It is generally difficult for a domestic animal to survive in the wild, according to a press release about the study from Sweden. Uppsala University, where one of the study’s senior authors, Leif Andersson, works. Domestic animals that survive in the wild are called “feral” – common examples include feral pigs and feral cats. For years, scientists have tried to understand what allowed domestic animals like rabbits to thrive in the wild. A previous to study on the colonization of rabbits in Australia found that Englishman Thomas Austin, who introduced 24 rabbits in 1859, caused an increase in the rabbit population that led to an ecological and economic “catastrophe”. Smithsonian Magazine reported.
To better understand the genetic changes that allow European rabbits to survive in the wild, researchers in the new study sequenced the genomes of 297 rabbits – including six wild populations from Europe, South America and Oceania – as well as domestic and wild rabbits from the native range. in southwestern Europe. This is the largest rabbit genetic dataset ever created, according to Uppsala University.
“Domestic rabbits are so common that our initial expectation was that these wild populations were made up of domestic rabbits that had somehow managed to readapt to the wild, but our findings point to a more complex scenario,” said Miguel Carneiro, one of the senior authors of the study said in the press release. “Although we consider six largely independent colonizations, all of these wild rabbits share a mixed domestic and wild origin.”
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The study found that as rabbits readjusted to the wild, genetic variants associated with domestication were often eliminated, according to the press release. That’s because genetic traits linked to domestication often made animals more vulnerable to predators. For example, albino or all-black rabbits are less likely to be seen in the wild, even though these coat colors are common in domestic rabbits, the researchers said in the press release.
The study also found evidence to suggest that natural selection affected genes linked to behavior and nervous system development, the press release said.
“Tameness is crucial for domestic animals to live close to humans, but it will not help a rabbit found again in the wild survive, so natural selection removes genetic variants linked to tameness,” Pedro Andrade, lead author of the study, said in the press release.
The researchers said in the study that their findings offer “important insights into the mitigation and management of invasive populations.” Wild rabbits can be invasive pests and cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, according to Uppsala University.
Earlier this year in Paris, around 300 wild rabbits populated the lawns of the Esplanade des Invalides, the historic site of Napoleon’s Tomb. The rabbits dug tunnels under the lawn, just like gnawed in electrical cables and pipes on the ground. Authorities estimated that repairing the damage could cost around 366,000 euros (or about $391,000). France24 reported. In Vancouver, invasive European rabbits inhabited some city parks, leading municipal authorities to to warn the public not to handle or feed animals.
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This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
