Hybridization versus conservation: are domestic cats threatening the genetic integrity of wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris) in Iberian Peninsula?

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2008

Authors

Rita Oliveira (Author) Other; Raquel Godinho (Author) Other; Ettore Randi (Author) Other; Paulo C Alves (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Vol. 363

Pages: 2953-2961

ISSN: 0962-8436

Publisher: The Royal Society

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 89 Citations

Scopus - 93 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Natural sciences > Biological sciences

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-003-W7J

DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0052

Abstract (EN): Cross- breeding between wild and free- ranging domestic species is one of the main conservation problems for some threatened species. The situation of wildcats ( Felis silvestris silvestris) in Europe is a good example of this critical phenomenon. Extensive hybridization was described in Hungary and Scotland, contrasting with occasional interbreeding in Italy and Germany. First analyses in Portugal revealed a clear genetic differentiation between wild and domestic cats; however, four hybrids were detected. Here, we extended the approach to Iberian Peninsula using multivariate and Bayesian analyses of multilocus genotypes for 44 Portuguese wildcats, 31 Spanish wildcats and 109 domestic cats. Globally, wild and domestic cats were significantly differentiated ( FST Z0.20, p! 0.001) and clustered into two discrete groups. Diverse clustering methods and assignment criteria identified an additional hybrid in Portugal, performing a total of five admixed individuals. The power of admixture analyses was assessed by simulating hybrid genotypes, which revealed that used microsatellites were able to detect 100, 91 and 85% of first- generation hybrids, second- generation genotypes and backcrosses, respectively. These findings suggest that the true proportion of admixture can be higher than the value estimated in this study and that the improvement of genetic tools for hybrids detection is crucial for wildcat conservation.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 9