Can compensatory culling offset undesirable evolutionary consequences of trophy hunting?

ABSTRACT: 1. There is growing concern about the evolutionary consequences of human harvesting on phenotypic trait quality in wild populations. Undesirable consequences are especially likely with trophy hunting because of its strong bias for specific phenotypic trait values, such as large antlers in cervids and horns in bovids. Selective hunting can cause a decline in a trophy trait over time if it is heritable, thereby reducing the long-term sustainability of the activity itself. 2. How can we build a sustainable trophy hunting tradition without the negative trait-altering effects? We used an individual-based model to explore whether selective compensatory culling of 'low quality' individuals at an early life stage can facilitate sustainability, as suggested by information from managed game populati

SUBMITTER: Mysterud A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2810430 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature