Wildlife conservation and animal temperament: causes and consequences of evolutionary change for captive, reintroduced, and wild populations

Abstract

We argue that animal temperament is an important concept for wildlife conservation science and review causes and consequences of evolutionary changes in temperament traits that may occur in captive-breeding programmes. An evolutionary perspective is valid because temperament traits are heritable, linked to fitness and potentially subject to intense selection in captivity. Natural, sexual and artificial selection can cause permanent shifts in temperament, reducing the diversity of temperament traits, diversity that may be critical to reintroduction success. Breeding programmes that ignore temperament risk leading the captive population towards domestication. Furthermore, shifts in temperament may involve alterations in linked morphological and physiological traits, and selection may even change functional relationships between traits. Captive-breeding programmes can reduce changes in temperaments by closely monitoring temperament traits, equalizing reproductive success between temperament morphs and using environmental enrichment to reduce captive stress. Under certain circumstances, knowledge about temperament may also provide a useful tool to optimize captive reproduction and to increase reintroduction success. Outside reintroduction programmes, temperament can mediate responses to human contact, hunting, exploitation, habitat fragmentation and disease transmission. Consideration of temperaments could strengthen both captive and wild conservation efforts.

Species differences in responses to captivity: stress, welfare and the comparative method

“…Being resident or little-ranging rather than migratory also tends to be beneficial in terms of invasion success [29,43,44]. For example, resident parrot species are more likely than migratory species to successfully establish 12 themselves in new locations [44].…”

Experimental identification of social learning in wild animals

“…For example, free-living animals may reside in areas impacted or provisioned by humans, resulting in effects on their behavior and evolution (McDougall, Réale, Sol, & Reader, 2006). Indeed, social learning may be a key part of allowing animals to cope with human impacts (Lee, 1991;Reader & Laland, 2003a;Whitehead, 2010).…”

Conserving and managing animals that learn socially and share cultures

“…However, a variety of theoretical contributions have suggested that ity, are maladaptive in the wild (e.g., tolerance of humans or extreme boldness). Through the link with heritable temperaments, these factors may also affect genetic diversity (McDougall, Réale, Sol, & Reader, 2006).…”