Undesirable evolutionary consequences of trophy hunting

David W. Coltman (), Paul O'Donoghue, Jon T. Jorgenson, John T. Hogg, Curtis Strobeck and Marco Festa-Bianchet
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David W. Coltman: University of Sheffield
Paul O'Donoghue: University of Sheffield
Jon T. Jorgenson: Alberta Department of Sustainable Development, Fish and Wildlife Division
John T. Hogg: Montana Conservation Science Institute
Curtis Strobeck: University of Alberta
Marco Festa-Bianchet: Université de Sherbrooke

Nature, 2003, vol. 426, issue 6967, 655-658

Abstract: Abstract Phenotype-based selective harvests, including trophy hunting, can have important implications for sustainable wildlife management if they target heritable traits1,2,3. Here we show that in an evolutionary response to sport hunting of bighorn trophy rams (Ovis canadensis) body weight and horn size have declined significantly over time. We used quantitative genetic analyses, based on a partly genetically reconstructed pedigree from a 30-year study of a wild population in which trophy hunting targeted rams with rapidly growing horns4, to explore the evolutionary response to hunter selection on ram weight and horn size. Both traits were highly heritable, and trophy-harvested rams were of significantly higher genetic ‘breeding value’ for weight and horn size than rams that were not harvested. Rams of high breeding value were also shot at an early age, and thus did not achieve high reproductive success5. Declines in mean breeding values for weight and horn size therefore occurred in response to unrestricted trophy hunting, resulting in the production of smaller-horned, lighter rams, and fewer trophies.

Date: 2003
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DOI: 10.1038/nature02177

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