The hazel dormouse ( Muscardinus avellanarius ) is a locally endangered European glirid species with limited dispersal abilities. Genetic methods have been increasingly applied to measure the effects of habitat fragmentation on the genetic structure of hazel dormouse populations; however, standard collection methods require intensive sampling effort. Here, we present the results of a pilot study testing the feasibility of non-...

We developed and validated two species-specific eDNA assays for the locally endangered yellow-bellied toad ( Bombina variegata ) and the red-bellied toad ( B. bombina ) with comprehensive in silico, in vitro, and in vivo testing. We evaluated assay performance on field samples using single-species qPCR and High-Throughput qPCR (HT-qPCR) on a Biomark HD system with different master mix chemistries. Analytical workflow significa...

Anthropogenic hybridisation between wild and domestic taxa poses a significant threat to species integrity, including the endangered European wildcat. To enable reliable molecular assessment of admixture with domestic cats and to increase the accuracy of hybrid class assignment we optimised an existing reduced microfluidic 96 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) panel. We selected SNPs from a genome-wide dataset for maximum F...

The application of Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS) approaches is often restricted in wildlife monitoring and conservation genetics, as those fields often rely on noninvasively collected samples with low DNA content. Here we selected a subset of informative single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from genome-wide data for lineage discrimination of a locally endangered Eurasian rodent, the hazel dormouse ( Muscardinus avellanarius...

Invasive predatory species may alter population dynamic processes of their prey and impact biological communities and ecosystem processes. Revealing biotic interactions, however, including the relationship between predator and prey, is a difficult task, in particular for species that are hard to monitor. Here, we present a case study that documents the utility of environmental DNA analysis (eDNA) to assess predator–prey intera...

The hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius presents an exemplary non-model species that is both locally threatened and whose genetic status is not fully understood owing to insufficient resolution of the currently available molecular tools. We performed normalized Genotyping-by-Sequencing (nGBS) on 48 hazel dormouse samples collected across the species European distribution, aiming at discovering useful single nucleotide poly...

Functional traits offer a rich quantitative framework for developing and testing theories in evolutionary biology, ecology and ecosystem science. However, the potential of functional traits to drive theoretical advances and refine models of global change can only be fully realised when species‐level information is complete. Here we present the AVONET dataset containing comprehensive functional trait data for all birds, includi...

Following severe population decline and local extinction due to massive habitat destruction and persecution, wildcats have recently reappeared in several parts of Germany’s low mountain region. It remains unknown how this reemergence occurred, specifically if local populations have been overlooked at low densities or if the species has successfully spread across the highly fragmented anthropogenic landscape. In the central Ger...

Large carnivores have made a successful comeback across human-dominated landscapes in Central Europe. The Eurasian lynx, for instance, has been actively reintroduced in different regions. Genetic diversity is quickly eroding in these isolated, small populations, questioning the long-term success of lynx reintroductions. To track population development and genetic diversity in a reintroduced lynx population, we used microsatell...

Hybridisation between wild taxa and their domestic congeners is a significant conservation issue. Domestic species frequently outnumber their wild relatives in population size and distribution and may therefore genetically swamp the native species. The European wildcat ( Felis silvestris ) has been shown to hybridise with domestic cats ( Felis catus ). Previously suggested spatially divergent introgression levels have not been...

Conservation genetics is a well‐established scientific field. However, limited information transfer between science and practice continues to hamper successful implementation of scientific knowledge in conservation practice and management. To mitigate this challenge, we have established a conservation genetics community, which entails an international exchange‐and‐skills platform related to genetic methods and approaches in co...