Hybridization between Felis silvestris silvestris and Felis silvestris catus in two contrasted environments in France

Abstract

European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) populations are fragmented throughout most of the whole range of the subspecies and may be threatened by hybridization with the domestic cat F.s. catus. The underlying ecological processes promoting hybridization remain largely unknown. In France, wildcats are mainly present in the northeast and signs of their presence in the Pyrenees have been recently provided. However, no studies have been carried out in the French Pyrenees to assess their exposure to hybridization. We compared two local populations of wildcats, one living in a continuous forest habitat in the French Pyrenees, the other living in a highly fragmented forest-agricultural landscape in northeastern France to get insights into the variability of hybridization rates. Strong evidence of hybridization was detected in northeastern France and not in the Pyrenees. Close kin in the Pyrenees were not found in the same geographic location contrary to what was previously reported for females in the northeastern wildcat population. The two wildcat populations were significantly differentiated (F ST = 0.072) to an extent close to what has been reported (F ST = 0.103) between the Iberian population, from which the Pyrenean population may originate, and the German population, which is connected to the northeastern population. The genetic diversity of the Pyrenean wildcats was lower than that of northeastern wildcat populations in France and in other parts of Europe. The lower hybridization in the Pyrenees may result from the continuity of natural forest habitats. Further investigations should focus on linking landscape features to hybridization rates working on local populations.

Genetic integrity of European wildcats: Variation across biomes mandates geographically tailored conservation strategies

“…As found for other continental biomes, the preservation of well-conserved forests provides suitable feeding resources and breeding conditions for this felid (Klar et al, 2008;Gil-Sánchez et al, 2015;Oliveira et al, 2018) and may limit levels of admixture in this biome. In fact, a similar pattern has been described in France where admixture levels were low in a forest-dominated landscape, arguably due to the continuity of natural forested habitats with low anthropogenic disturbance (Beugin et al, 2020).…”

Stable isotopes unveil one millennium of domestic cat paleoecology in Europe

“…The ecology of the domestic cat is complex because it is an opportunistic exploiter that can maneuver among multiple available ecological niches 1 . Modern cats sharing the same environment, especially town-dwellers, exploit highly variable habitats and, hence, have highly varied trophic ecology 1 , 12 , 16 , 17 , 31 , 72 . Some cats may live as "backyard cats," (i.e., welcome but free-roaming mouse hunters), which are occasionally fattened by their human neighbors.…”

“…The domestic cat has become a widespread and abundant predator, and is considered one of the most detrimental species in the world that negatively impacts a wide range of wild native species 3 , 11 – 14 . Domestic cats also pose a serious threat to wildcat native populations through hybridization 15 , 16 and competition 17 , 18 . Thus, the study of domestic cat ecology is important from various points of view—from the history of one of the world's most popular pet to conservation biology.…”

A review of philopatry and dispersal in felids living in an anthropised world

“…The prediction of competition for resources as a cause of dispersal requires that: dispersers are mainly subordinate individuals (e.g. subadults; Ferreras et al 2004); dispersal should increase when fewer resources are available (Mizutani & Jewell 1998, Ferreras et al 2004, Fattebert et al 2015, Beugin et al 2020); and dispersal is mediated by the population density (Zimmermann et al 2005, Stoner et al 2013). It was also proposed that dispersers should perform long‐distance exploratory movements or settle in areas of lower productivity (Morrison et al 2015).…”