Barrientos Yuste, RafaelCarmona Castresana, GuillermoBurgos, TamaraMartín García, SaraVargas Ramírez, MartaHernández Hernández, JavierBandeira, Víctor J.Quiles Tundidor, PabloPalacín, CarlosMartín De La Calle, Carlos AlfonsoVirgós, EmilioHórreo Escandón, José Luis2024-12-092024-12-092024Barrientos, R., G. Carmona, T. Burgos, S. Martin-Garcia, M. Vargas-Ramírez, J. Hernández-Hernández, V. J. Bandeira, P. Quiles, C. Palacín, C. A. Martín, et al. 2024. The genetics of the European polecat in the Iberian Peninsula. Journal of Wildlife Management 88:e22628. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.226280022-541X10.1002/jwmg.22628https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/112222This project was supported by Proyectos Universidad Complutense - Banco Santander (PR44/21-29923) to J.L.H. and R.B. Additionally, R.B., G.C., J.H.H. and P.Q. were funded by Ayuda Atracción de Talento (2018-T1/AMB-10374 and 2022-5A/AMB-24242) from Comunidad de Madrid. M.V.R. was supported by an Investigo contract (reference 09-PIN1-00009.8/2022) from Comunidad de Madrid. P.Q. and T.B. were supported by a PhD fellowship funded by Universidad Complutense de Madrid (CT63/19-CT64/19 and FPU17/04375, respectively). V.B. was supported by Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) through FCT/MCTES (UIDP/50017/2020 + UIDB/50017/2020 + LA/P/0094/2020).Volunteer-based roadkill monitoring schemes, including road carcass sampling, can represent considerable advances with respect to classical methods employed in conservation biology. We studied the genetic diversity, structure, and dynamics of the European polecat (Mustela putorius) across the Iberian Peninsula. We used samples of road carcasses collected by volunteers because this carnivore is an elusive species otherwise difficult to monitor with standard field protocols. We gathered 238 samples obtained from 2004 to 2022 from 13 different areas (8–31 samples/area). Using microsatellite loci, we identified 4 genetic units with gene flow among 3 of them in the Iberian Peninsula. The genetic variability was steadily low in 1 of the areas (Girona) for all the parameters evaluated. This area is also genetically isolated from the other studied areas. The inbreeding coefficient was significant in the north- and south-Iberia units, and we did not detect a bottleneck signature in any of the 4 genetic units. Future conservation actions should consider the genetic dissimilarity among detected units and elucidate the ecological factors that have led to the observed genetic patterns.engAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/journal article1937-2817https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22628https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.22628?af=Ropen access591.5574.9599.742.4 (46)591.15Citizen scienceConservationGenetic isolationGenetic reinforcementInbreedingPopulation dynamicsRoadkillZoologíaMamíferos2401 Biología Animal (Zoología)2401.18 Mamíferos2401.08 Genética Animal2401.06 Ecología Animal3105.12 Ordenación y Conservación de la Fauna Silvestre