Data from: Human selection of elk behavioural traits in a landscape of fear

No Thumbnail Available
Date
2020-03-27
Citation
Boyce MS, Ciuti S. 2020. Data from: Human selection of elk behavioural traits in a landscape of fear. Movebank Data Repository. https://doi.org/10.5441/001/1.j484vk24
Abstract
Among agents of selection that shape phenotypic traits in animals, humans can cause more rapid changes than many natural factors. Studies have focused on human selection of morphological traits, but little is known about human selection of behavioural traits. By monitoring elk (Cervus elaphus) with satellite telemetry, we tested whether individuals harvested by hunters adopted less favourable behaviours than elk that survived the hunting season. Among 45 2-year-old males, harvested elk showed bolder behaviour, including higher movement rate and increased use of open areas, compared with surviving elk that showed less conspicuous behaviour. Personality clearly drove this pattern, given that inter-individual differences in movement rate were present before the onset of the hunting season. Elk that were harvested further increased their movement rate when the probability of encountering hunters was high (close to roads, flatter terrain, during the weekend), while elk that survived decreased movements and showed avoidance of open areas. Among 77 females (2-19 y.o.), personality traits were less evident and likely confounded by learning because females decreased their movement rate with increasing age. As with males, hunters typically harvested females with bold behavioural traits. Among less-experienced elk (2-9 y.o.), females that moved faster were harvested, while elk that moved slower and avoided open areas survived. Interestingly, movement rate decreased as age increased in those females that survived, but not in those that were eventually harvested. The latter clearly showed lower plasticity and adaptability to the local environment. All females older than 9 y.o. moved more slowly, avoided open areas and survived. Selection on behavioural traits is an important but often-ignored consequence of human exploitation of wild animals. Human hunting could evoke exploitation-induced evolutionary change, which, in turn, might oppose adaptive responses to natural and sexual selection.
Keywords
Cervus elaphus,animal migration,animal movement,animal tracking,Argos,Cervus elaphus,elk,GPS logger,habitat selection,North America,satellite telemetry
Taxa
Taxon
Cervus elaphus
Red Deer (see comments), elk, wapiti, wapiti or elk
Sensors
Sensor
GPS
Related Workflows
BibTex
@misc{001/1_j484vk24,
  title = {Data from: Human selection of elk behavioural traits in a landscape of fear},
  author = {Boyce, MS and Ciuti, S},
  year = {2020},
  URL = {http://dx.doi.org/10.5441/001/1.j484vk24},
  doi = {doi:10.5441/001/1.j484vk24},
  publisher = {Movebank data repository}
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
ID  - doi:10.5441/001/1.j484vk24
T1  - Data from: Human selection of elk behavioural traits in a landscape of fear
AU  - Boyce, Mark S.
AU  - Ciuti, Simone
Y1  - 2020/03/27
KW  - Cervus elaphus
KW  - animal behavior
KW  - animal migration
KW  - animal movement
KW  - animal tracking
KW  - Argos
KW  - Cervus elaphus
KW  - elk
KW  - GPS logger
KW  - habitat selection
KW  - North America
KW  - satellite telemetry
KW  - Cervus elaphus
PB  - Movebank data repository
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5441/001/1.j484vk24
DO  - doi:10.5441/001/1.j484vk24
ER  -
Collections