Genomic evidence for the Chinese mountain cat as a wildcat conspecific ( <i>Felis silvestris bieti</i> ) and its introgression to domestic cats

Abstract

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau endemic Chinese mountain cat has a controversial taxonomic status, whether it is a true species or a wildcat (<i>Felis silvestris</i>) subspecies and whether it has contributed to cat (<i>F. s. catus</i>) domestication in East Asia. Here, we sampled <i>F. silvestris</i> lineages across China and sequenced 51 nuclear genomes, 55 mitogenomes, and multilocus regions from 270 modern or museum specimens. Genome-wide analyses classified the Chinese mountain cat as a wildcat conspecific <i>F. s. bieti</i>, which was not involved in cat domestication of China, thus supporting a single domestication origin arising from the African wildcat (<i>F. s. lybica</i>). A complex hybridization scenario including ancient introgression from the Asiatic wildcat (<i>F. s. ornata</i>) to <i>F. s. bieti</i>, and contemporary gene flow between <i>F. s. bieti</i> and sympatric domestic cats that are likely recent Plateau arrivals, raises the prospect of disrupted wildcat genetic integrity, an issue with profound conservation implications.