Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (Jul 2023)
A common statement on anthropogenic hybridization of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris)
- Beatrice Nussberger,
- Beatrice Nussberger,
- Soraia Barbosa,
- Soraia Barbosa,
- Mark Beaumont,
- Mathias Currat,
- Mathias Currat,
- Sébastien Devillard,
- Marco Heurich,
- Marco Heurich,
- Marco Heurich,
- Jo Howard-McCombe,
- Federica Mattucci,
- Carsten Nowak,
- Carsten Nowak,
- Claudio Sebastián Quilodrán,
- Helen Senn,
- Paulo Célio Alves,
- Paulo Célio Alves,
- Paulo Célio Alves,
- EUROWILDCAT Consortium,
- Malte Götz,
- Pablo Ferreras,
- Dominik Fischer,
- Luisa Fischer,
- Lorenzo Frangini,
- René Janssen,
- Saskia Jerosch,
- Andrew Kitchener,
- Miha Krofel,
- Jarmila Krojerová-Prokešová,
- Johannes Lang,
- József Lanszki,
- Jenny MacPherson,
- Dime Melovski,
- Johan Michaux,
- Despina Migli,
- Marc Moes,
- Pedro Monterroso,
- Carolina Nogueira,
- Henryk Okarma,
- Dominique Pontier,
- Joe Premier,
- Héctor Ruiz-Villar,
- Ferran Sayol,
- Vinciane Schockert,
- Lara Semple,
- Andrea Sforzi,
- Olaf Simon,
- Magda Sindičić,
- Anil Soyumert,
- Arianna Spada,
- Sabrina Streif,
- Manfred Trinzen
Affiliations
- Beatrice Nussberger
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Beatrice Nussberger
- Wildtier Schweiz, Zurich, Switzerland
- Soraia Barbosa
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado/BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Plannin, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Soraia Barbosa
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Mark Beaumont
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Mathias Currat
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Mathias Currat
- Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (IGE3), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Sébastien Devillard
- CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
- Marco Heurich
- Department of National Park Monitoring and Animal Management, Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
- Marco Heurich
- 0Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Marco Heurich
- 1Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
- Jo Howard-McCombe
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Federica Mattucci
- 2Unit for Conservation Genetics (BIO-CGE), Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Ozzano dell Emilia, Italy
- Carsten Nowak
- 3Centre for Wildlife Genetics & Conservation Genetics Section, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Gelnhausen, Germany
- Carsten Nowak
- 4LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Claudio Sebastián Quilodrán
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Helen Senn
- 5Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), WildGenes Laboratory, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Paulo Célio Alves
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado/BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Plannin, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Paulo Célio Alves
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Paulo Célio Alves
- 6EBM, Biological Station of Mértola, Mértola, Portugal
- EUROWILDCAT Consortium
- Malte Götz
- Pablo Ferreras
- Dominik Fischer
- Luisa Fischer
- Lorenzo Frangini
- René Janssen
- Saskia Jerosch
- Andrew Kitchener
- Miha Krofel
- Jarmila Krojerová-Prokešová
- Johannes Lang
- József Lanszki
- Jenny MacPherson
- Dime Melovski
- Johan Michaux
- Despina Migli
- Marc Moes
- Pedro Monterroso
- Carolina Nogueira
- Henryk Okarma
- Dominique Pontier
- Joe Premier
- Héctor Ruiz-Villar
- Ferran Sayol
- Vinciane Schockert
- Lara Semple
- Andrea Sforzi
- Olaf Simon
- Magda Sindičić
- Anil Soyumert
- Arianna Spada
- Sabrina Streif
- Manfred Trinzen
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1156387
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 11
Abstract
Preserving natural genetic diversity and ecological function of wild species is a central goal in conservation biology. As such, anthropogenic hybridization is considered a threat to wild populations, as it can lead to changes in the genetic makeup of wild species and even to the extinction of wild genomes. In European wildcats, the genetic and ecological impacts of gene flow from domestic cats are mostly unknown at the species scale. However, in small and isolated populations, it is known to include genetic swamping of wild genomes. In this context, it is crucial to better understand the dynamics of hybridization across the species range, to inform and implement management measures that maintain the genetic diversity and integrity of the European wildcat. In the present paper, we aim to provide an overview of the current scientific understanding of anthropogenic hybridization in European wildcats, to clarify important aspects regarding the evaluation of hybridization given the available methodologies, and to propose guidelines for management and research priorities.
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