Comportamento alimentare di Lepre italica nella Tenuta Presidenziale di Castelporziano

The aim of this study was to investigate the Italian hare feeding habits and feeding selection in three sites of the Castelporziano Presidential Estate. Vegetation and faecal sampling took place in the period June-October. The most abundant families resulted Poaceae, Asteraceae, and Rosaceae. Among inventoried species the most representative were Avena fatua, Dasypyrum villosum, Achnatherum bromoides, and Briza maxima. Regarding to life forms, the most abundant were grasses followed by non-leguminous forbs, shrubs and leguminous forbs. The family of Poaceae was the most ingested followed by Asteraceae and Cyperaceae. The most consumed species resulted Brachypodium sylvaticum, Avena fatua, Cynodon dactylon and Poa trivialis. Grasses was the most utilized life form: plants of this life form represented more of 50% of the diet. The Italian hare showed a positive selection towards graminoids, while leguminous forbs and woody plants were avoided. Among plant families only Poaceae was preferred (p<0.001), while Apiacae, Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, Fagaceae and Rosaceae were negatively selected (p<0.01).