IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Attaque, A. | |
| Impact of the landscape and human activities on the genetic structuring of the wildcat (_Felis silvestris_) in Wallonia and Luxembourg | |
| 2022 Full Book | |
The European wildcat (_Felis silvestris_), after having suffered a significant decline in the 19th century, seems to be currently expanding in some countries. However, the species remains vulnerable to several threats related to human activity. Indeed, the omnipresence of man in the European landscape is causing a loss and fragmentation of the European wildcat's habitat, thus isolating small populations where genetic diversity will eventually decrease. This increased proximity to man-made constructions creates a second problem: hybridization with the domestic cat (_Felis catus_). In this study, we wanted to improve our knowledge of the extent of these threats in two countries: Belgium (Wallonia) and Luxembourg. To do so, we collected hair samples using hair traps coated with valerian dye. These were then analysed using the SNP method. We used 96 SNPs selected specifically for the European wildcat and for this type of analysis. One of the main objectives was to check the presence of hybrids. We calculated a hybridization rate of 6% (N = 63) in Wallonia (mainly the province of LiŠge) and 8% (N = 117) in Luxembourg. These relatively low rates are in line with the results of recent studies on the subject in Western Europe. We have also highlighted the existence of two distinct genetic groups in European wildcats. However, we don't know their origin yet. The low genetic differentiation (DJost = 0.005) between these groups leads us to believe that they do indeed belong to the same large population in Western Central Europe. By analysing the inbreeding coefficients, we found a higher risk of inbreeding depression in Wallonia (FIS = 0.32) than in Luxembourg (FIS = 0.07). We must be careful when interpreting these results as the sampling methods differ in the two countries. We do not exclude the possibility of sampling bias in Wallonia. The second main objective, focusing on Luxembourg, was to identify landscape elements that impacted European wildcat connectivity using a landscape genetics approach. We observed that forests and agricultural areas acted as corridors, while motorways and urban areas acted as barriers to the gene flow of the species. |
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