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The fishing cat, Prionailurus viverrinus, faces a population decline, increasing the importance of maintaining healthy zoo populations. Unfortunately, zoo-managed individuals currently face a high prevalence of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), a form of bladder cancer. To investigate the genetics of inherited diseases among captive fishing cats, we present a chromosome-scale assembly, generate the pedigree of the zoo-managed population, reaffirm the close genetic relationship with the Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), and identify 7.4 million single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and 23,432 structural variants (SVs) from whole genome sequencing (WGS) data of healthy and TCC cats. Only BRCA2 was found to have a high recurrent number of missense mutations in fishing cats diagnosed with TCC when compared to inherited human cancer risk variants. These new fishing cat genomic resources will aid conservation efforts to improve their genetic fitness and enhance the comparative study of feline genomes.

The role of structurally dynamic genomic regions in speciation is poorly understood due to challenges inherent in diploid genome assembly. Here we reconstructed the evolutionary dynamics of structural variation in five cat species by phasing the genomes of three interspecies F1 hybrids to generate near-gapless single-haplotype assemblies. We discerned that cat genomes have a paucity of segmental duplications relative to great apes, explaining their remarkable karyotypic stability. X chromosomes were hotspots of structural variation, including enrichment with inversions in a large recombination desert with characteristics of a supergene. The X-linked macrosatellite DXZ4 evolves more rapidly than 99.5% of the genome clarifying its role in felid hybrid incompatibility. Resolved sensory gene repertoires revealed functional copy number changes associated with ecomorphological adaptations, sociality and domestication. This study highlights the value of gapless genomes to reveal structural mechanisms underpinning karyotypic evolution, reproductive isolation and ecological niche adaptation.

The primary driver of nest failure for terrestrial birds is depredation, especially for ground-nesting species that arc vulnerable to a diverse guild of predators. However, descriptions of how complex predator-prey interactions happen, and ultimately lead to nest failures, are scarce. Herein, we provide observations collected from cameras stationed at nest sites as part of a larger study on Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata) nesting behavior in the Oklahoma Panhandle during 2016. We observed 2 multi-episode (i.e.. multiple predator visits) diurnal nest depredation events at a nest of each species. In both instances, repeated nest depredation by hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon kispidus) as well as 2 different snake species resulted in nest abandonment. We observed that cotton rats routinely visited nest sites (up to 11 times in 1 diurnal period), and often entered the nest during oft' bouts (64% of off bouts) of the incubating females. By detailing interspecific interactions involved in nest depredation. we provide a glimpse into the complexity of the nesting ecology of ground-dwelling birds. These observations further reinforce the potential pitfalls of categorizing nest depredation events without camera data. Received 17 March 2022. Accepted 17 September 2022. Key words: camera, ground-nesting, nest predators. Northern Bobwhite. Scaled Quail. El factor principal de fracaso de la anidacion en aves terrestres es la depredacion. especialmcnte en especies que anidan en el suelo y son vulnerables a un gremio divcrso de depredadores. Sin embargo, las descripciones de como ocurren las interaeciones complejas depredador-presa. que llevan en ultima instancia al fracaso dc la anidacion. son escasas. Aqui proporcionamos obscrvacioncs realizadas con camaras trampa ubicadas en sitios tic anidacion conio parte de un estudio mas grande sobre comportamiento de anidacion dc las codornices Colinus virginiaitus y Callipepla squamata en Oklahoma Panhandle durante el 2016. Observamos 2 eventos de depredacion dinrna dc nido de episodios multiples (es deeir visitas de multiples depredadores) en un nido de cada especie. En ambos casos, la depredacion repetida del nido por ratas Sigmodon hispidus asi como de 2 especics diferentes de scrpientcs resulto en cl abandono del nido. Observamos que las ratas visitaron rutinariamente los sitios de anidacion (hasta 11 veces en un periodo diurno) y entraron al nido durante las salidas (64% de las salidas) dc las hembras que tncuban. Al detallar interaccioncs intcrcspccificas involucradas en depredacion dc nidos, damos un vistazo a la complcjidad dc la ecoiogia de anidacion de las aves tcrrestres. Estas obscrvacioncs retucr/.an mas los posibles obstaeulos de categorizar los eventos de depredacion dc nido sin usar camaras trampa. Palabras clave: aves terrcstrcs, camara. codornices. depredadores dc nido., The primary driver of nest failure for terrestrial birds is depredation (Ricklefs 1969, Martin 1992), especially for ground-nesting species that are vulnerable to a diverse guild of predator species (i.e., [...]