New virus variant of rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease threatens the conservation of the Iberian lynx and the Iberian-imperial eagle

An international team coordinated by CIBIO-InBIO researchers has shown in a study published by the prestigious scientific journal Scientific Reports (Nature group) that the new variant of Rabbit Viral Hemorrhagic Disease (DHV) virus can compromise the conservation of the iberian lynx and the imperial eagle in the Iberian Peninsula.

This virus proved to be responsible for the drastic decrease in the natural populations of wild rabbits, the main food of these species, which resulted in a decrease in the number of breeding individuals and pups of Iberian lynx and imperial eagle, threatening their conservation.

In this paper, we present the results of a study of Monterroso P, Garrote G, Serronha A, Santos E, Delibes-Mateos M, Abrantes J, Pérez-de-Ayala R, Silvestre F, Carvalho J, Vasco I, Lopes AM, Maio E, Magalhães, MJ, Mills LS, Esteves PJ, Simón MA & Alves PC. Disease-mediated bottom-up regulation: An emerging virus affects keystone prey, and alters the dynamics of trophic webs. Sientific Reports. 2016.Available at: www.nature.com/articles/srep36072