title: Conservation genetics of carnivores in Italy.
abstract: Pleistocene climatic changes shaped the patterns of biodiversity in Europe and around the Mediterranean. Describing the phylogeographic structure of animal populations and inferring past population dynamics is essential to develop a framework for conservation biology in Europe. Direct persecution, habitat loss, population fragmentation and hybridization with domesticated conspecifics, are the main threats to the survival of large mammalian species. In this paper I will summarize the available information on phylogeography and population genetics of brown bear, wolf, wildcat and otters in Italy and in Europe.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica, Via Cà Fornacetta, 9, 40064 Ozzano dell'Emilia, BO, Italy. met0217@iperbole.bo.it
authors.forename: Ettore
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Randi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000235:genetics; D044822:Biodiversity; D002335:Carnivora / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D005843:Geography; D007558:Italy; D010041:Otters / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D011157:Population Dynamics; D001503:Ursidae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D019596:Wolves / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics