Werdelin, L. 1981.
The evolution of lynxes.
Annales Zoologici Fennici 18: 37-71.

The intra- and interspecific variation of certain felid species belonging to, or morphologically related to, the genus Lynx is studied with the help of bivariate and multivariate statistical methods. With this as a base, the major evolutionary patterns within Lynx are outlined and interpreted. The genus Lynx is considered to be of African origin. Its earliest occurrence is early or mid Pliocene. This species, L. issiodorensis, had lynx-like dental features, but skeletally resembled Felis. It migrated into the Northern Hemisphere and gave rise to several species. In Europe, L. pardina is a direct descendant of L. issiodorensis. This transition is found to have involved a gradual reduction in size and relative lengthening of Mi, through the intermediates L.i. valdamensis (ssp. n.) and L.p. spelaea.

Werdelin_1981_Evolution_of_lynxes.pdf

Werdelin, L. 1983.
Morphological patterns in the skull of cats.
Biological Journal of the Linean Society 19(4): 375-391.

Measurements on the skull and dentition of 159 specimens of 22 species of recent felid were analysed using multivariate statistical methods (principal component analysis and correspondence analysis). The resulting patterns were considered in the light of recent work on the systematics of felids (large cats and small cats were clearly differentiated). Within each group there are subgroups. In the small cat group one subgroup was found to consist of the species Lynx lynx, L. rufus, L. pardina, L. canadensis and possibly Felis manul. Another subgroup consisted of the species F. bengalis, F. rubiginosa, F. planiceps and F. viverrina. These two subgroups agree well with other work on felid systematics. Subgroups which do not agree so well with other work were also found, and the reasons for this are considered. Within the large cats there are two species, F. concolor and Neofelis nebulosa, which are clearly deviant from the norm. The reasons for this deviation are also considered.

Werdelin_1983_Morphological_patterns_in_the_skull_of_cats.pdf

Werdelin, L. 1987.
Supernumerary teeth in Lynx lynx and the irreversibility of evolution.
Journal of Zoology 211: 259-266.

Supernumerary dental elements have been reported in Lynx lynx by several authors. These features have been given different evolutionary interpretations by different commentators. I note here that, since these features are absent in the plesiomorphic sister-groups of L. lynx, they represent a true evolutionary reversal. If they were simply a retention of an evolutionarily older phenotype, we should expect to see them developed in at least one plesiomorphic sister-group. Such development of a previously hidden character can occur if it is genetically linked to features selected for, until it becomes phenotypically expressed, whereupon selection can act on the character itself. Since Dollo's law, which is the theoretical issue behind the present discussion, is not a law, but a rule, and, like all rules based on probabilitie, we should expect to find exceptions in the fossil record. Such exceptions are not rare, but few are as spectacular as the present one, in which the redeveloped feature is at least phenotypically identical with one which has been lost in the Felidae since the Miocene.

Werdelin_1987_Lynx_teeth_and_irreversible_evolution.pdf

Werdelin, L. 1990.
Taxonomic Status of the Pardel Lynx. 
Cat News 13: 15.

In summary, there is little doubt, based on current research, that Lynx pardinus is a valid species, and one of the rarest living felid species. It should be recognized as such in the IUCN red list and the CITES.

Werdelin_1990_Taxonomic_Status_of_the_Pardel_Lynx_-_Cat_News_No13.pdf

Wilson, J. C., Fuller, S. J., and Mather, P. B. 2002.
Formation and maintenance of discrete wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) population systems in arid Australia: Habitat heterogeneity and management implications.
Austral Ecology 27: 183-191.

The wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) is a significant pest in arid and semi-arid Australia, where erratic rainfall and irregular pasture growth cause population sizes to oscillate, increasing virtually without limit and then crashing during drought conditions. Vacant habitat patches can be rapidly recolonized from nearby patches in high rainfall years. Using two adjoining rabbit population systems in arid and semi-arid south-west Queensland, this study evaluates patterns of population differentiation and proposes a mechanism that may lead to the formation of multiple rabbit population systems in the same locality. Using the combined haplotype frequency data from both a local and regional study, estimates of genetic exchange among local populations are considered in conjunction with ecological data to evaluate the significance of habitat attributes (and their spatial distribution) on the local distribution of rabbit populations, both within and between two adjacent population systems. A tentative model is proposed to explain the observed differences in population structure between the two adjoining systems. Under this model, population structure at specific locations is determined primarily by the availability of areas suitable for prolonged colonization and the quality of the intervening habitat that dictates the degree of isolation between locations and therefore the probability of recolonization following local extinctions. It is also suggested that the current rabbit distribution may be a function of the flexibility of behavioural responses in rabbits to the level of spatial heterogeneity of favourable habitats within the two regions.

Wilson_et_al_2002_Formation_and_maintenance_of_rabbit_population_sytems_in_Australia.pdf

WWF Adena. 2004.
Another Iberian Lynx killed on the road: WWF-Spain urges to close the road from Villamanrique to El Rocío. 
Press Release. Madrid, 1 September 2004.