Revealing the origin of wildcat reappearance after presumed long-term absence

Sylvatic vector-borne pathogens including Cytauxzoon europaeus in the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) from southwestern Germany

BACKGROUND

European wildcats (Felis silvestris) are widely distributed in Europe and a strictly protected species in Germany. Lately, anthropogenic protective efforts lead to increasing numbers of wildcats in southwestern Germany. Moreover, in recent years the numbers of domestic cats are increasing. Thus, the contact between domestic and wildcats may lead to the spread of zoonotic pathogens in both animal species. As data on vector-borne pathogens (VBPs) in wildcats from Germany are limited to date, the objective of this study was to investigate the presence and current distribution of VBPs in wildcats from southwestern Germany.

METHODS

Skin and spleen samples from 117 European wildcats, originating from a regional carcass-monitoring program in southwestern Germany, were examined by real-time and conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Rickettsia spp., Bartonella spp., and Piroplasmida.

RESULTS

In total, 6.8% (n = 8) of the wildcats were Rickettsia-positive, specified as R. helvetica. Three wildcats were positive for A. phagocytophilum (2.6%), one for Bartonella spp., namely B. taylorii (0.8%), and 84 for Cytauxzoon spp. (71.8%). Out of these 84 samples, 23 were further sequenced revealing very high identity levels (99.84-100%) to C. europaeus, which is considered to be pathogenic for domestic cats. All wildcats were negative for the presence of N. mikurensis DNA.

CONCLUSIONS

European wildcats in southwestern Germany are hosting several VBPs. With the exception of Cytauxzoon spp., low prevalence rates of most examined pathogens suggest that wildcats are primarily incidental hosts for sylvatic pathogens associated with rodents, in contrast to domestic cats. However, the high prevalence of the cat-associated pathogen C. europaeus suggests that wildcats in southwestern Germany may serve as reservoirs for this pathogen.

Informing conservation strategies with museum genomics: Long-term effects of past anthropogenic persecution on the elusive European wildcat

Like many carnivore species, European wildcats (Felis silvestris) have suffered severe anthropogenic population declines in the past, resulting in a strong population bottleneck at the beginning of the 20th century. In Germany, the species has managed to survive its near extinction in small isolated areas and is currently recolonizing former habitats owing to legal protection and concerted conservation efforts. Here, we SNP-genotyped and mtDNA-sequenced 56 historical and 650 contemporary samples to assess the impact of massive persecution on genetic diversity, population structure, and hybridization dynamics of wildcats. Spatiotemporal analyses suggest that the presumed postglacial differentiation between two genetically distinct metapopulations in Germany is in fact the result of the anthropogenic bottleneck followed by re-expansion from few secluded refugia. We found that, despite the bottleneck, populations experienced no severe genetic erosion, nor suffered from elevated inbreeding or showed signs of increased hybridization with domestic cats. Our findings have significant implications for current wildcat conservation strategies, as the data analyses show that the two presently recognized wildcat population clusters should be treated as a single conservation unit. Although current populations appear under no imminent threat from genetic factors, fostering connectivity through the implementation of forest corridors will facilitate the preservation of genetic diversity and promote long-term viability. The present study documents how museum collections can be used as essential resource for assessing long-term anthropogenic effects on natural populations, for example, regarding population structure and the delineation of appropriate conservation units, potentially informing todays' species conservation.

Abundance and use pattern of wildcats of ancient human-modified cattle pastures in northern Iberian Peninsula

The wildcat is typically found in low densities. Here, we estimated wildcat abundance in cattle pastures interspersed between forests in northern Iberian Peninsula, and their patterns of intra-annual and daily use. We censused wildcats three times daily (morning, afternoon, and night) from a car during 4 years in summer season. We also carried out four monthly tracks (two in the morning and two in the afternoon) for a complete year. Overall, we recorded 191 wildcats in pastures and 5 on the road in forest zones. Thirteen different individual wildcats were identified during the summer censuses, but only 29.9% of the wildcats observed (n = 196) could be assigned to an individual wildcat. The number of wildcats sighted decreased especially during the last year, when sightings were 52–67% lower than in previous years. Wildcats were seen significantly more during the morning and night censuses than during the afternoon ones. Estimated annual summer densities in pasture areas ranged between 0.11 and 0.46 sightings/km2. Throughout the year, wildcats were observed 5.9 times more during summer-autumn than during winter-spring, and they could be observed in any time of the day, but more often close to dusk. It is noteworthy that the ancient human-transformed landscapes for cattle pastures could be an important habitat for wildcats in northern Iberian Peninsula, and conserving these areas should be important to maintaining wildcat populations.