Hedgehogs are among the most abundant species to be found within wildlife shelters and after successful rehabilitation they are frequently translocated. The effects and potential impact of these translocations on gene flow within wild populations are largely unknown. In this study, different wild hedgehog populations were compared with artificially created "shelter populations", with regard to their genetic diversity, in order to establish basic data for future inferences on the genetic impact of hedgehog translocations. Observed populations are located within central Europe, including the species Erinaceus europaeus and E. roumanicus. Shelters were mainly hosting one species; in one case, both species were present syntopically. Apart from one exception, the results did not show a higher genetic diversity within shelter populations, indicating that individuals did not originate from a wider geographical area than individuals grouped into one of the wild populations. Two shelters from Innsbruck hosted individuals that belonged to two potential clusters, as indicated in a distance analysis. When such a structure stems from the effects of landscape elements like large rivers, the shelter management-related translocations might lead to homogenization across the dispersal barrier.

Department of Zoology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Viničná 7 116 36 Prague Czech Republic

Faculty of Science University of Ostrava Chittussiho 10 710 00 Ostrava Czech Republic

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Kamýcká 129 165 21 Prague Czech Republic

Institute for Integrative Nature Conservation Research University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences 1180 Vienna Austria

Institute of Plant Protection University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences 1180 Vienna Austria

MARE Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre Universidade de Lisboa 1649 004 Lisboa Portugal

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