The European wildcat, Felis silvestris silvestris, serves as a prominent target species for the reconnection of central European forest habitats. Monitoring of this species, however, appears difficult due to its elusive behaviour and the ease of confusion with domestic cats. Recently, evidence for multiple wildcat occurrences outside its known distribution has accumulated in several areas across Central Europe, questioning the validity of available distribution data for this species. Our aim was to assess the fine-scale distribution and genetic status of the wildcat in its central European distribution range. We compiled and analysed genetic samples from roadkills and hundreds of recent hair-trapping surveys and applied phylogenetic and genetic clustering methods to discriminate wild and domestic cats and identify population subdivision. 2220 individuals were confirmed as either wildcat (n = 1792) or domestic cat (n = 342), and the remaining 86 (3.9 %) were identified as hybrids between the two. Remarkably, genetic distinction of domestic cats, wildcats and their hybrids was only possible when taking into account the presence of two highly distinct genetic lineages of wildcats, with a suture zone in central Germany. 44 % of the individual wildcats where sampled outside the previously published distribution. Our analyses confirm a relatively continuous spatial presence of wildcats across large parts of the study area in contrast to previous analyses indicating a highly fragmented distribution. Our results suggest that wildcat conservation and management should take advantage of the higher than previously assumed dispersal potential of wildcats, which may use wildlife corridors very efficiently.

Wetlands are important to continental evolution, providing both arenas and refugia for emerging and declining biotas. This significance and the high preservation potential make the resulting fossiliferous deposits essential for our understanding of past and future biodiversity. We reconstruct the trophic structure and age of the early Permian Manebach Lake ecosystem, Germany, a thriving wetland at a time when the tropical biosphere faced profound upheaval in the peaking Late Palaeozoic Icehouse. Nine excavations, high‐resolution spatiotemporal documentation of fossils and strata, and U–Pb radioisotopic dating of tuffs allow us to distinguish autogenic and allogenic factors shaping the limnic biocoenosis. The Manebach Lake was an exorheic, oxygen‐stratified, perennial water body on the 101–102 km2 scale, integrated into the catchment draining much of the European Variscides. Lake formation paralleled an Asselian regional wet climatic interval and benefited from rising base level due to post‐Variscan half‐graben tectonics. Stromatolite‐forming cyanobacteria, bivalves, several crustaceans, amblypterids and xenacanthid sharks formed a differentiated biocoenosis in the lake. Fossil stomach remains and teeth prove the rare presence of acanthodians, branchiosaurs and large amphibians. The results indicate woody‐debris‐bearing lake littorals devoid of semi‐aquatic and aquatic plants as places suitable for stromatolites to grow, underpin the model of declining freshwater‐shark diversity in most Permian Variscan basins, demonstrate fish/amphibian ratios in limnic assemblages to measure lake perenniality and reveal taphonomic biases in lake taphocoenoses. Our outcomes call for more knowledge about the diversity, ecology and fossilization pathways of past limnic biotas, particularly microorganisms and actinopterygian fishes, to reconstruct deep‐time continental ecosystems.

Summary Why do Woodlarks need field-forest ecotones? -An analysis of possible factorsIn the breeding season of 1995 the ecological function of field-forest ecotones for Woodlarks (Lullula arborea) was examined on an ex-military area of heath in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The hypothesis of competition with Skylark (Alauda arvensis) was tested by analysis of territoriality and agonistic behaviour as well as foraging-sites behaviour. The possible indispensability of perches was investigated by an artificial perch experiment. Flight behaviour was tested in comparison with the Skylark. Woodlark and Skylark showed neither interspecific territoriality nor a high level of interspecific agonistic interactions. Even though some perches were used frequently, Woodlarks did not change territories in grassland areas because of the artificial perches. On closer examination of anti-predationstrategies it became clear that forest edge is not a factor of woodlark-territories but the habitat of that species. As Skylarks try to escape by overflying or hiding in grass, Woodlarks mostly flew to the forest. Together with morphological and singing aspects both nest type and flight-behaviour show obvious adaptations to field-forest ecotones.

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