Interbreeding between historically allopatric species with incomplete reproductive barriers may result when species expand their range. The genetic consequences of such hybridization depend ...critically on the dynamics of the range expansion. Hybridization models during range expansion have been developed but assume dispersal to be independent from neighboring population densities. However, organisms may disperse because they are attracted by conspecifics or because they prefer depopulated areas. Here, through spatially explicit simulations, we assess the effect of various density-dependent dispersal modes on the introgression between two species. We find huge introgression from the local species into the invasive one with all dispersal modes investigated, even when the hybridization rate is relatively low. This represents a general expectation for neutral genes even if the dispersal modes differ in colonization times and amount of introgression. Invasive individuals attracted by conspecifics need more time to colonize the whole area and are more introgressed by local genes, whereas the opposite is found for solitary individuals. We applied our approach to a recent expansion of European wildcats in the Jura Mountains and the hybridization with domestic cats. We show that the simulations explained better the observed level of introgression at nuclear, mtDNA, and Y chromosome markers, when using solitary dispersal for wildcats instead of random or gregarious dispersal, in accordance with ecological knowledge. Thus, use of density-dependent dispersal models increases the predictive power of the approach.
The European wildcat (
Schreber, 1777) is an endangered and elusive carnivore that is slowly recovering in Central Europe after persecution and a decline in its distribution over the past two ...centuries, and specific conservation plans are needed in most of its range. Knowledge of the continent-wide distribution and status of this species is still poor. Using an online questionnaire, we evaluated the nationwide distribution of wildcats across three time periods (2004, 2014, and 2022) in Hungary. The species' reported occurrence was analyzed according to binominal logistic regression using the percent cover of land cover categories as explanatory variables. We found that the spatial cover of broad-leaved forest was positively associated with the occurrence of wildcats, and the analysis revealed a positive trend in the larger 2004-2022 time frame. We also recorded that although wildcats have disappeared from areas of the central, southern, and western parts of Hungary, regions in the eastern, northern, and south-western areas appear to retain stable populations.
Traditional agro‐pastoral practices are more beneficial for biodiversity than intensified agricultural systems. Promotion of the growth of natural herbaceous vegetation in pastoral fields can enhance ...rodent populations and consequently influence ecological aspects of carnivores with rodent‐based diets, like prey consumption in the European wildcat (Felis silvestris). In this article, we investigated the effects of pastoral field extent, season and prey abundance on wildcat consumption of several prey species in the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain). Prey consumption in areas with presence of pastoral fields (even in low proportions) was dominated by profitable field‐dwelling rodent species such as Arvicola monticola. Consumption of Arvicola was not correlated with its abundance and was higher during summer and autumn. Apodemus dominated the wildcat diet in areas with higher forest proportion and far from pastoral fields, particularly during spring. Our results suggest that varying habitat use and seasonal changes in prey accessibility may determine wildcat prey consumption in pastoral landscapes. Our results can contribute to highlight the potential benefits of traditional and sustainable pastoral activities for the conservation of the European wildcat across its distribution range.
Promotion of growth of natural herbaceous vegetation in pastoral fields can enhance rodent populations and consequently influence ecological aspects of carnivores with rodent‐based diets, like prey consumption in the European wildcat (Felis silvestris). Prey consumption in areas with presence of pastoral fields (even in low proportions) was dominated by profitable field‐dwelling rodent species such as Arvicola monticola particularly during summer and autumn, whereas Apodemus dominated wildcat diet in areas with higher forest proportion and far from pastoral fields particularly during spring. Our results suggest that varying habitat use and seasonal changes in prey accessibility may determine wildcat prey consumption in pastoral landscapes and can contribute to highlight the potential benefits of traditional and sustainable pastoral activities for the conservation of the European wildcat across its distribution range.
•A free-operant preference assessment was conducted with pet and shelter cats.•Preference assessment categories included social interaction, food, toys, and scent.•There was clear individual ...variability in cat preference.•The majority of cats preferred human social interaction and food.•Preferred stimuli may serve as a reinforcer or enrichment items for cats.
Domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) engage in a variety of relationships with humans and can be conditioned to engage in numerous behaviors using Pavlovian and operant methods Increasingly cat cognition research is providing evidence of their complex socio-cognitive and problem solving abilities. Nonetheless, it is still common belief that cats are not especially sociable or trainable. This disconnect may be due, in part, to a lack of knowledge of what stimuli cats prefer, and thus may be most motivated to work for. The current study investigated domestic cat preferences at the individual and population level using a free operant preference assessment. Adult cats from two populations (pet and shelter) were presented with three stimuli within each of the following four categories: human social interaction, food, toy, and scent. Proportion of time interacting with each stimulus was recorded. The single most-preferred stimulus from each of the four categories were simultaneously presented in a final session to determine each cat’s most-preferred stimulus overall. Although there was clear individual variability in cat preference, social interaction with humans was the most-preferred stimulus category for the majority of cats, followed by food. This was true for cats in both the pet and shelter population. Future research can examine the use of preferred stimuli as enrichment in applied settings and assess individual cats’ motivation to work for their most-preferred stimulus as a measure of reinforcer efficacy.
The widespread occurrence of free‐ranging domestic or feral carnivores (dogs, cats) or ungulates (pigs, goats), and massive releases of captive‐reproduced game stocks (galliforms, waterfowl) is ...raising fear that introgressive hybridization with wild populations might disrupt local adaptations, leading to population decline and loss of biodiversity. Detecting introgression through hybridization is problematic if the parental populations cannot be sampled (unlike in classical stable hybrid zones), or if hybridization is sporadic. However, the use of hypervariable DNA markers (microsatellites) and new statistical methods (Bayesian models), have dramatically improved the assessment of cryptic population structure, admixture analyses and individual assignment testing. In this paper, I summarize results of projects aimed to identify occurrence and extent of introgressive hybridization in European populations of wolves (Canis lupus), wildcats (Felis silvestris), rock partridges and red‐legged partridges (Alectoris graeca and Alectoris rufa), using genetic methods. Results indicate that introgressive hybridization can be locally pervasive, and that conservation plans should be implemented to preserve the integrity of the gene pools of wild populations. Population genetic methods can be fruitfully used to identify introgressed individuals and hybridizing populations, providing data which allow evaluating risks of outbreeding depression. The diffusion in the wild of invasive feral animals, and massive restocking with captive‐reproduced game species, should be carefully controlled to avoid loss of genetic diversity and disruption of local adaptations.
Little is known about the cat's (Felis silvestris catus) need for human contact, although it is generally believed that cats are more independent pets than e.g. dogs. In this study, we investigated ...the effect of time left alone at home on cat behaviour (e.g. social and distress-related) before, during and after separation from their owner. Fourteen privately owned cats (single-housed) were each subjected to two treatments: the cat was left alone in their home environment for 30 min (T0.5) and for 4 h (T4). There were no differences between treatments in the behaviour of the cat (or owner) before owner departure, nor during the first 5 min of separation. During separation, cats were lying down resting proportionally less (T = 22.5, P = 0.02) in T0.5 (0.27±0.1 (mean±SE)) compared to in T4 (0.58±0.08), probably due to a similar duration of higher activity early in the separation phase in both treatments. Comparisons of the time interval (min 20-25) in both treatments indicated no differences across treatments, which supports such an explanation. Towards the end of the separation phase (the last two 5-min intervals of separation in both treatments), no differences were observed in the cats' behaviour, indicating that cats were unaffected by separation length. At reunion however, cats purred more (T = 10.5, P = 0.03) and stretched their body more (T = 17, P = 0.04) after a longer duration of separation (T4:0.05±0.02; 0.03±0.01; T0.5: 0.01±0.007; 0.008±0.003). Also, owners initiated more verbal contact (T = 33.5, P = 0.04) after 4 h (0.18±0.05) compared to after 30 min (0.12±0.03). There was no evidence of any correlations between the level of purring or body stretching by the cat and verbal contact by the owner implying that the behavioural expressions seen in the cats are independent of the owner's behaviour. Hence, it seemed as cats coped well with being left alone, but they were affected by the time they were left alone, since they expressed differences in behaviour when the owner returned home. The increased level of social contact initiated by the cats after a longer duration of separation indicates a rebound of contact-seeking behaviour, implying that the owner is an important part of the cat's social environment.
Studying the environmental occurrence of parasites of concern for humans and animals based on coprosamples is an expanding field of work in epidemiology and the ecology of health. Detecting and ...quantifying Toxocara spp. and Echinococcus multilocularis, two predominant zoonotic helminths circulating in European carnivores, in feces may help to better target measures for prevention. A rapid, sensitive, and one-step quantitative PCR (qPCR) allowing detection of E. multilocularis and Toxocara spp. was developed in the present study, combined with a host fecal test based on the identification of three carnivores (red fox, dog, and cat) involved in the life cycles of these parasites. A total of 68 coprosamples were collected from identified specimens from Vulpes vulpes, Canis lupus familiaris, Canis lupus, Felis silvestris catus, Meles meles, Martes foina, and Martes martes With DNA coprosamples, real-time PCR was performed in duplex with a qPCR inhibitor control specifically designed for this study. All the coprosample host identifications were confirmed by qPCR combined with sequencing, and parasites were detected and confirmed (E. multilocularis in red foxes and Toxocara cati in cats; 16% of samples presented inhibition). By combining parasite detection and quantification, the host fecal test, and a new qPCR inhibitor control, we created a technique with a high sensitivity that may considerably improve environmental studies of pathogens.
•We measured the stability of behavioural stress responses in adult cats at two shelters.•Distress calls and motor activity during confinement are repeatable in adult cats.•Inter-individual ...differences can be reliably measured even within 10 s of testing.•Number of vocalisations is more highly repeatable than duration of motor activity.•There was no correlation between number of calls and duration of motor activity.
The behavioural assessment of individual animals in stressful situations should consider measures which are consistent across repeated testing, and therefore truly representative of an individual's behaviour. Here we report a study conducted on 40 neutered adult cats (Felis silvestris catus) of both sexes, originating from two animal shelters in Mexico and Hungary. We recorded the responses of the cats to repeated brief confinement trials that mimicked a common situation (confinement in a pet carrier). This test was repeated three times, leaving one week between trials, to assess short-term repeatability. Stable inter-individual differences in two behavioural measures, the number of separation calls and the duration of motor activity, were found, although the inter-individual differences in vocalisation were more pronounced than they were for motor activity. Additionally, the overall number of vocalisations emitted remained stable despite repeated testing, whereas motor activity tended to decrease week to week. There was a negative effect of age on vocalisation rate, and no effect of sex on either behaviour. No correlation between the two behavioural measures was found. We suggest that, in adult cats, vocalisation may be more reliable than motor activity as a behavioural measure of stress.
Studies on the genetic diversity and relatedness of zoo populations are crucial for implementing successful breeding programmes. The European wildcat, Felis s. silvestris, is subject to intensive ...conservation measures, including captive breeding and reintroduction. We here present the first systematic genetic analysis of the captive population of Felis s. silvestris in comparison with a natural wild population. We used microsatellites and mtDNA sequencing to assess genetic diversity, structure and integrity of the ex situ population. Our results show that the ex situ population of the European wildcat is highly structured and that it has a higher genetic diversity than the studied wild population. Some genetic clusters matched the breeding lines of certain zoos or groups of zoos that often exchanged individuals. Two mitochondrial haplotype groups were detected in the in situ populations, one of which was closely related to the most common haplotype found in domestic cats, suggesting past introgression in the wild. Although native haplotypes were also found in the captive population, the majority (68%) of captive individuals shared a common mtDNA haplotype with the domestic cat (Felis s. catus). Only six captive individuals (7.7%) were assigned as wildcats in the STRUCTURE analysis (at K = 2), two of which had domestic cat mtDNA haplotypes and only two captive individuals were assigned as purebred wildcats by NewHybrids. These results suggest that the high genetic diversity of the captive population has been caused by admixture with domestic cats. Therefore, the captive population cannot be recommended for further breeding and reintroduction.
Serum samples from 282 wild carnivores from different regions of Spain were tested for antibodies to
Toxoplasma gondii by the modified agglutination test using a cut-off value of 1:25. Antibodies to
...T. gondii were found in 22 of 27 (81.5%) of Iberian lynx (
Lynx pardinus), 3 of 6 European wildcats (
Felis silvestris), 66 of 102 (64.7%) red foxes (
Vulpes vulpes), 15 of 32 (46.9%) wolves (
Canis lupus), 26 of 37 (70.3%) Eurasian badgers (
Meles meles), 17 of 20 (85.0%) stone martens (
Martes foina), 4 of 4 pine martens (
Martes martes), 6 of 6 Eurasian otters (
Lutra lutra), 4 of 4 polecats (
Mustela putorius), 1 of 1 ferret (M
ustela putorius furo), 13 of 21 (61.9%) European genets (
Genetta genetta), and 13 of 22 (59.1%) Egyptian mongooses (
Herpestes ichneumon). Serological results indicated a widespread exposure to
T. gondii among wild carnivores in Spain. The high
T. gondii seroprevalence in Iberian lynx and the European wildcat reported here may be of epidemiologic significance because seropositive cats might have shed oocysts.
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