The European wildcat Felis silvestris silvestris is one of the most endangered mammals in Poland. In 1954, when the Tatra National Park (TNP) was established in the highest part of the Polish Carpathians, the wildcat was considered a rare species but nevertheless present in this region. However, its occurrence was never properly recorded there. The aim of this study was to verify whether wildcats occur in the TNP using genetic methods to distinguish wildcats from domestic cats F. s. catus. Between March and May 2015, hair samples were collected from 40 lure sticks treated with valerian, a cat attractant, in a region of the park with presumed high habitat suitability for wildcats. Neither wildcats nor hybrids with domestic cats were identified using control region haplotype sequencing and analysis of different nuclear markers. However, thirteen samples indicating the presence of the domestic cat in the protected area were collected. The Bayesian clustering analyses of microsatellite and SNP genotypes revealed no evidence for any admixture with wildcats. While our study cannot prove the absence of wildcats in the study area, it strongly suggests that wildcats are at least very rare in the region and a continued rigorous monitoring is recommended.
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Bark beetle outbreaks and tree mortality patterns should be better understood to control outbreak impacts. We investigated landscape-level patterns of Norway spruce mortality caused by Ips typographus outbreaks across three periods from 1999–2012 in Tatra National Park (Poland) using high-resolution aerial orthophotos and satellite imagery. Shifts in tree mortality related to elevation, slope, and solar equinox radiation were analyzed with ANOVAs (Tukey's HSD tests). Boosted regression trees were employed to assess the forecasting effectiveness of these variables related to mortality period. Spruce mortality severity increased significantly across time in both managed and unmanaged forests. Management activities did not effectively reduce spruce mortality severity. Mortality severity increased significantly at higher elevations over time, while slope and radiation trends varied. Elevation and radiation were the best forecasters of mortality period, exhibiting moderate predictive ability. Beetle-induced spruce mortality increased significantly in Tatra National Park from 1999–2012, particularly at high elevations. Management strategies aimed at minimizing spruce mortality have been ineffective.
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