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The role of human hunters and natural predators in shaping the selection of behavioural types in male wild turkeys

Nick A. Gulotta,Patrick H. Wightman,B. Collier,Michael J. Chamberlain

Published 2024 in Royal Society Open Science

ABSTRACT

The expression of behaviour can vary both among (i.e. behavioural types (BTs)) and within individuals (i.e. plasticity), and investigating causes and consequences of variation has garnered significant attention. Conversely, studies quantifying harvest-induced selection (HIS) on behavioural traits have received significantly less attention, and work investigating HIS and natural selection simultaneously is rare. We studied sources of variation in three movement traits that represented risk-taking and one trait that represented exploration in male eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris). We used data from 109 males in two hunted populations located in Georgia and South Carolina, USA. We assessed how both hunters and natural predators simultaneously influenced the selection of male turkey BTs. We found significant among-individual variation in all movement traits and adjustments in risk-taking and exploration relative to whether hunting was occurring. We observed that predators selected against similar BTs across both populations, whereas hunters selected for different BTs across populations. We also demonstrated that significant HIS acts on risk-taking behaviours in both populations, which could render wild turkeys more difficult to harvest if these traits are indeed heritable.

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