IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Neaves, L.E.; Hollingsworth, P.M. | |
| The Scottish wildcat (_Felis silvestris_) - A review of genetic information and its implications for management | |
| 2013 Full Book | |
The Scottish wildcat is thought to be under threat from hybridisation with domestic cats. Management of this problem is hampered by the lack of genetic characters, which clearly define the wildcat and distinguish it from domestic cats and their hybrids. In this report we review and summarise the findings of genetic analyses tackling this issue, and discuss these in the context of morphological criteria for defining wildcats. We also discuss how the results of the genetic analyses may be used to inform management decisions in hybridising species. We finish by outlining outstanding knowledge gaps/future research requirements. Wildcats represent a distinct genetic lineage from domestic cats and can be distinguished (to some extent) using microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA markers. Scottish wild-living cats appear to consist of a mix of individuals with varying degrees of hybridity on a continuum between domestic cats and wildcats. A lack of baseline data precludes the determination of whether these wildcats are free of introgression from domestic cats. At an individual level, there is imperfect concordance between methods (i.e. morphological and genetic) used to define Scottish wildcats. There is general agreement between methods at the extremes; but there are also individuals which look genetically like wildcats, but with morphological characters consistent with introgression. Likewise, some individuals which appear to be hybrid based on genetic data have the morphological appearance of 'pure' wildcats The 'strict' pelage classification (Kitchener et al. 2005) of wildcats typically identifies cats that are genetically at the 'wildcat' end of the spectrum, but this only represents a subset of the individuals that appear genetically wildcat. This suggests that this criterion may be overly restrictive, but may also be due to low resolution in the available genetic markers. A crucial issue for wildcat conservation and the application of genetic data is the clarification of desired outcomes as this will influence management strategies and data requirements. It is important to be clear whether the primary management aim is to maintain formally defined genetic or morphological purity, or to preserve populations of wild-living cats for their cultural and/or ecosystem value (e.g. they generally look or behave like wildcats). There are several outstanding areas where further research is required; these include increasing the number of genetic markers available and sampling of wild-living cats particularly in remote areas. |
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