Abstract
The phenotypic markers, coat color, pattern and hair length, of natural domestic cat populations observed in four cities (Barcelona, Catalonia; Palma Majorca, Balearic Islands; Rimini, Italy and Buenos Aires, Argentina) were studied at a microgeographical level. Various population genetics techniques revealed that the degree of genetic differentiation between populations of Felis catus within these cities is relatively low, when compared with that found between populations of other mammals. Two different levels of sampling were used. One was that of "natural" colonies of cat families living together in specific points within the cities, and the other referred to "artificial" subpopulations, or groups of colonies, inhabiting the same district within a city. For the two sampling levels, some of the results were identical: 1) little genic heterogeneity, 2) existence of panmixia, 3) similar levels of expected heterozygosity in all populations analyzed, 4) no spatial autocorrelation, with certain differentiation in the Buenos Aires population compared to the others, and 5) very high correlations between colonies and subpopulations with the first factors from a Q factor analysis. Nevertheless, other population genetic statistics were greatly affected by the differential choice of sampling level. This was the case for: 1) the amount of heterogeneity of the FST and GST statistics between the cities, which was greater at the subpopulation level than at colony level, 2) the existence of correlations between genic differentiation statistics and size variables at subpopulation level, but not at the colony level, and 3) the relationships between the genetic variables and the principal factors of the R factorial analysis. This suggests that care should be taken in the choice of the sampling unit, for inferences on population genetics to be valid at the microgeographical level.
Highlights
Population genetics studies of domestic cat (Felis catus) populations based on the observation of the allele frequencies of certain morphological characteristics such as the coat color and tabby character, hair length and some skeletal abnormalities began with Searle (1949), and since more than 400 cat populations have been analyzed worldwide from this point of view
No significant differences were detected in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the O locus at both sampling levels in the cities studied (Table II), there being no difference between the colony and subpopulation levels in this regard
4) The expected mean heterozygosity and the HardyWeinberg statistics were similar in the populations studied, independent of the sampling microgeographic level chosen
Summary
Population genetics studies of domestic cat (Felis catus) populations based on the observation of the allele frequencies of certain morphological characteristics such as the coat color and tabby character, hair length and some skeletal abnormalities began with Searle (1949), and since more than 400 cat populations have been analyzed worldwide from this point of view. Ruiz-Garcia were no important geographical constraints for the natural flow of the animals within the area, for example, important avenues with heavy traffic. This sampling level is probably highly artificial, but it was used as an instrument in order to demonstrate the importance of the choice of the most correct unit, for the sake of population biology. As will be shown here, some of the results differ in relation to the sampling level chosen It must be born in mind, that it is often difficult to determine the real population unit in nature. It must be born in mind, that it is often difficult to determine the real population unit in nature. 3) The third aim was to see whether there is a relationship between the degree of genetic heterogeneity between the microgeographical sampling levels analyzed, and some of the demographic parameters of human and cat populations in these cities
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