Comparative diet of goats, sheep and brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in a typical Mediterranean rangeland in northern Greece

Diet overlap between livestock (goats and sheep) and brown hare was estimated in a typical Mediterranean rangeland in central Macedonia, using the method of microhistological analysis of faeces. It was also investigated if grazing intensity by livestock influenced diet composition of hare. It was found that diet overlap between livestock and hare was very small and thus, food competition between livestock and hare was very weak. No significant differences were found on diet composition of hare between sites of different grazing intensity, mainly because of the similarity of vegetation composition between the treatments. Conclusively, common use of rangelands by livestock and hare is feasible, when stocking rates do not exceed grazing capacity.