“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”: Molecular Tools to Reconstruct multilocus Genetic Profiles from Wild Canid Consumption Remains

• Published in: Animals
• Main Authors: Velli, Edoardo, Mattucci, Federica, Lazzeri, Lorenzo, Fabbri, Elena, Pacini, Giada, Belardi, Irene, Mucci, Nadia, Caniglia, Romolo
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI 2022
• Subjects: Communication; Canis lupus
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9495216/; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12182428

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Wolves and European wildcats are two iconic predator species that can live in overlapping ecological contexts and also share their habitats with their domestic free-ranging relatives, increasing the risk of anthropogenic hybridisation and its possible deleterious consequences. By applying a multidisciplinary approach, we morphologically and molecularly analysed the cat remains found in a canid faecal sample collected in a forested area of central Italy. Individual multilocus genotypes of both predator and prey were identified turning out to be, respectively, a wolf showing traces of dog ancestry at autosomal microsatellite loci and a domestic cat. ABSTRACT: Non-invasive genetic sampling is a practical tool to monitor pivotal ecological parameters and population dynamic patterns of endangered species. It can be particularly suitable when applied to elusive carnivores such as the Apennine wolf (Canis lupus italicus) and the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris), which can live in overlapping ecological contexts and sometimes share their habitats with their domestic free-ranging relatives, increasing the risk of anthropogenic hybridisation. In this case study, we exploited all the ecological and genetic information contained in a single biological canid faecal sample, collected in a forested area of central Italy, to detect any sign of trophic interactions between wolves and European wildcats or their domestic counterparts. Firstly, the faecal finding was morphologically examined, showing the presence of felid hair and claw fragment remains. Subsequently, total genomic DNA contained in the hair and claw samples was extracted and genotyped, through a multiple-tube approach, at canid and felid diagnostic panels of microsatellite loci. Finally, the obtained individual multilocus genotypes were analysed with reference wild and domestic canid and felid populations to assess their correct taxonomic status using Bayesian clustering procedures. Assignment analyses classified the genotype obtained ...