Artificial selection in human-wildlife feeding interactions.

ABSTRACT: The artificial selection of traits in wildlife populations through hunting and fishing has been well documented. However, despite their rising popularity, the role that artificial selection may play in non-extractive wildlife activities, for example, recreational feeding activities, remains unknown. If only a subset of a population takes advantage of human-wildlife feeding interactions, and if this results in different fitness advantages for these individuals, then artificial selection may be at work. We have tested this hypothesis using a wild fallow deer population living at the edge of a capital city as our model population. In contrast to previous assumptions on the randomness of human-wildlife feeding interactions, we found that a limited non-random portion of an entire population is

SUBMITTER: Griffin LL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9546373 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature