Hybridisation between wild taxa and their domestic congeners is a significant conservation issue. Domestic species frequently outnumber their wild relatives in population size and distribution and may therefore genetically swamp the native species. The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) has been shown to hybridise with domestic cats (Felis catus). Previously suggested spatially divergent introgression levels have not been confirmed on a European scale due to significant differences in the applied methods to assess hybridisation of the European wildcat. We analysed 926 Felis spp. samples from 13 European countries, using a set of 86 selected ancestry-informative SNPs, 14 microsatellites, and ten mitochondrial and Y-chromosome markers to study regional hybridisation and introgression patterns and population differentiation. We detected 51 hybrids (four F1 and 47 F2 or backcrosses) and 521 pure wildcats throughout Europe. The abundance of hybrids varied considerably among studied populations. All samples from Scotland were identified as F2 hybrids or backcrosses, supporting previous findings that the genetic integrity of that wildcat population has been seriously compromised. In other European populations, low to moderate levels of hybridisation were found, with the lowest levels being in Central and Southeast Europe. The occurrence of distinct maternal and paternal markers between wildcat and domestic cat suggests that there were no severe hybridisation episodes in the past. The overall low (< 1%) prevalence of F1 hybrids suggests a low risk of hybridisation for the long-term genetic integrity of the wildcat in most of Europe. However, regionally elevated introgression rates confirm that hybridisation poses a potential threat. We propose regional in-depth monitoring of hybridisation rates to identify factors driving hybridisation so as to develop effective strategies for conservation.

野生生物分类群与其家系同源物之间的杂交是一个重要的保护问题。在种群数量和分布上，国内物种经常超过其野生近缘种，因此可能在遗传上淹没了本地物种。欧洲野猫（Felis silvestris）已与家猫（Felis catus）杂交。由于在评估欧洲野猫杂交的应用方法上存在显着差异，因此以前在欧洲范围内尚未证实空间上不同的渗入水平。我们分析了926费利斯spp。使用13个欧洲国家/地区的样本，使用一组86个选定的先祖信息性SNP，14个微卫星以及10个线粒体和Y染色体标记来研究区域杂交和渗入模式以及种群分化。我们在整个欧洲检测到51个杂种（四个F1和47 F2或回交）和521个纯野猫。在研究人群中，杂种的丰度差异很大。来自苏格兰的所有样本均被鉴定为F2杂种或回交，支持以前的发现，即该野猫种群的遗传完整性已受到严重损害。在其他欧洲人口中，发现低至中等水平的杂交，最低水平在中欧和东南欧。在野猫和家猫之间出现明显的母体和父体标记表明过去没有严重的杂交事件。F1杂种的总体患病率较低（<1％），表明在欧洲大部分地区，野猫的长期遗传完整性具有杂交风险。但是，区域渗入率升高证实了杂交构成了潜在的威胁。我们建议在区域范围内对杂交率进行深入监控，以识别驱动杂交的因素，从而开发出有效的保护策略。区域渗入率的升高证实了杂交构成了潜在的威胁。我们建议对杂交率进行区域性深度监控，以识别驱动杂交的因素，从而制定有效的保护策略。区域渗入率的升高证实了杂交构成了潜在的威胁。我们建议在区域范围内对杂交率进行深入监控，以识别驱动杂交的因素，从而开发出有效的保护策略。