Can compensatory culling offset undesirable evolutionary consequences of trophy hunting?

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary biology
• Wildlife management
• Conservation science

Background:

• Human harvesting, particularly trophy hunting, raises concerns about negative evolutionary impacts on wild populations.
• Selective hunting can reduce heritable trophy traits (e.g., antlers, horns), threatening hunting's sustainability.
• This study addresses the need for sustainable trophy hunting practices that avoid detrimental trait alteration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if compensatory culling of low-quality individuals can mitigate negative evolutionary effects of trophy hunting.
• To assess the feasibility of sustainable trophy hunting through evolutionarily enlightened management.
• To model the impact of early-life culling on trophy trait evolution in red deer.

Main Methods:

• An individual-based model was developed using empirical data from red deer populations.
• The model simulated the effects of selective trophy hunting and compensatory culling of yearlings.
• Heritability of sexual ornaments and early-to-adult trait correlation were key model assumptions.

Main Results:

• Targeted culling of low-quality yearlings effectively counteracted the selective pressure of trophy hunting on trophy traits in prime-aged animals.
• The model confirmed that compensatory culling could maintain trait distribution against evolutionary shifts caused by hunting.
• Simulation results demonstrated evolutionary changes in trait values, not just short-term demographic effects.

Conclusions:

• Evolutionarily informed management strategies can successfully integrate trophy hunting.
• Compensatory culling offers a method to ensure the long-term sustainability of trophy hunting and its conservation benefits.
• Further research should analyze the combined effects of trophy hunting and compensatory culling on phenotypic and genetic variance.