Effects of Harvest on Antlers of Simulated Populations of Elk

Thelen, Thomas

doi:10.2307/3809146

Cited by 24 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…First, trophy hunters have preferences for specific physiological traits in their prey, such as body size or the size of antlers or horns [10]. Other examples of the effects of hunting on gene frequencies are provided by [12,15,17,26,30,31]. Second, there is the selective nature of commercial fishing, which often targets traits such as catchability or size, as discussed in Refs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal management of renewable resources with Darwinian selection induced by harvesting

Guttormsen

Kristófersson

Nævdal

2008

Journal of Environmental Economics and Management

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal management of renewable resources with Darwinian selection induced by harvesting

Guttormsen

Kristófersson

Nævdal

2008

Journal of Environmental Economics and Management

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“…Trait changes under directional harvesting are predicted (Thelen ), and the reports on mountain sheep populations clearly give cause for concern (Coltman et al . ; Garel et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hunter selection and long‐term trend (1881–2008) of red deer trophy sizes in Hungary

Rivrud

Sonkoly

Lehoczki

et al. 2012

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary1. Human harvesting has a large impact on natural populations and may cause undesirable life-history changes. In wild ungulate populations, unrestricted trophy hunting may cause strong selection pressures resulting in evolutionary change towards smaller trophies. It has rarely been tested how harvesting selection varies in space and time, and whether directional hunter selection is sufficiently strong to induce long-term decreases in trophy size in centuryscale data. 2. We analysed two unique data sets of harvesting records spanning decade and century scales to identify changes in trophy size and how harvesting selection varies in space and time in red deer Cervus elaphus. We contrasted predictions from the trophy-hunting depletion, the restricted trophy hunting and the hunting pressure hypotheses. 3. Foreign hunters selected older and larger males than local hunters, but selection patterns for age-specific trophy size between counties and over time were dynamic. Patterns of red deer trophy size development from exhibitions (representing the 'upper tail' of antler sizes) were remarkably similar across Hungary from 1881 to 2008. A weak decline in trophy size between 1881 and 1958 was followed by a strong increase in trophy size between 1958 and 1974, culminating in a period of stable antler tine numbers and a weak decline in beam length until 2008. 4. We rejected the trophy hunting depletion hypothesis due to the increase in trophy size after a period of decline; patterns were most consistent with the hunting pressure hypothesis. Large increases in trophy size during 1958-1974 were likely due to a relief in hunting pressure due to implementation of strict management regulations allowing stags to grow old after the massive overharvesting during World War II, but we cannot exclude impacts from environmental factors, and that data from trophy exhibitions may underestimate trends. 5. Synthesis and applications. Trophy hunting does not necessarily lead to a non-reversible decline in trophy size, even over century-long time-scales. To ensure sustainable trophy hunting management, we need to consider factors such as spatial and temporal refuges, compensatory culling, saving stags until prime-age culmination and higher prices for larger trophies.

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“…Effective population size, genetic connectivity and mating patterns are all key parameters that can be estimated using molecular ecological techniques for accurately modelling the genetic and ecological effects of harvesting (Ryman et al . 1981; Thelen 1991; Milner‐Gulland & Beddington 1993; Kurt et al . 1995; Tiedemann & Kurt 1995; Ernande et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular ecological approaches to studying the evolutionary impact of selective harvesting in wildlife

Coltman

2007

Molecular Ecology

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Harvesting of wildlife populations by humans is usually targeted by sex, age or phenotypic criteria, and is therefore selective. Selective harvesting has the potential to elicit a genetic response from the target populations in several ways. First, selective harvesting may affect population demographic structure (age structure, sex ratio), which in turn may have consequences for effective population size and hence genetic diversity. Second, wildlife-harvesting regimes that use selective criteria based on phenotypic characteristics (e.g. minimum body size, horn length or antler size) have the potential to impose artificial selection on harvested populations. If there is heritable genetic variation for the target characteristic and harvesting occurs before the age of maturity, then an evolutionary response over time may ensue. Molecular ecological techniques offer ways to predict and detect genetic change in harvested populations, and therefore have great utility for effective wildlife management. Molecular markers can be used to assess the genetic structure of wildlife populations, and thereby assist in the prediction of genetic impacts by delineating evolutionarily meaningful management units. Genetic markers can be used for monitoring genetic diversity and changes in effective population size and breeding systems. Tracking evolutionary change at the phenotypic level in the wild through quantitative genetic analysis can be made possible by genetically determined pedigrees. Finally, advances in genome sequencing and bioinformatics offer the opportunity to study the molecular basis of phenotypic variation through trait mapping and candidate gene approaches. With this understanding, it could be possible to monitor the selective impacts of harvesting at a molecular level in the future. Effective wildlife management practice needs to consider more than the direct impact of harvesting on population dynamics. Programs that utilize molecular genetic tools will be better positioned to assess the long-term evolutionary impact of artificial selection on the evolutionary trajectory and viability of harvested populations.

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Effects of Harvest on Antlers of Simulated Populations of Elk

Cited by 24 publications

References 5 publications

Optimal management of renewable resources with Darwinian selection induced by harvesting

Optimal management of renewable resources with Darwinian selection induced by harvesting

Hunter selection and long‐term trend (1881–2008) of red deer trophy sizes in Hungary

Molecular ecological approaches to studying the evolutionary impact of selective harvesting in wildlife

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