IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Castro, D.; Monterroso, P.; Moreira, P.; Alves, P.C. | |
| Does Scat Morphological Misidentification Influence Ecological Studies? A Case Study with the European Wildcat (_Felis silvestris_) in Portugal | |
| 2007 Conference Proceeding | |
The European wildcat elusive behaviour and low densities make it difficult to study, thus indirect methods based on scat identification are generally applied. In these studies, species identification is based on morphological characteristics. Nevertheless, the potential identification error rates are not quantified, nor the resulting implications in subsequent studies. The recent development of DNA based techniques provide more accurate species identification, avoiding the inherent subjectivity of traditional ones. In this study, we determined error rates on morphological identification of wildcat scats to evaluate the consequent bias in habitat selection. Scats were collected in three geographically distinct areas in Portugal and were identified based on morphological characteristics by three trained researchers. Habitat composition was analysed in a 4km2 area surrounding the scats' locations. A total of 75 potential cat excrements were collected and a subset of 58 was genetically identified using a SSCP technique. Results revealed that 37% of the scats were correctly identified and misidentified scats belonged to red foxes (52%) and dogs (11%). Despite the high error rates, first results did not show significant differences between habitat selection analysis based on genetic and morphologic identifications. However, the high detected bias suggests that other biological aspects may be misinterpreted. |
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