Human Induced Evolution caused by Unnatural Selection through Harvest of Wild Animals
April 28, 2014 @ 05:00 pm
to 06:00 pm
Fred Allendorf, University of Montana
112 Borland
Event Website
Human harvest of phenotypically desirable animals from wild populations imposes selection that can reduce the frequency of those desirable phenotypes. Hunting and fishing contrast with agricultural practices in which the most desirable animals are typically bred with the specific goal of increasing the frequency of desirable phenotypes. I consider the potential effects of harvest, primarily through fishing and hunting, on the genetics and sustainability of wild populations. I also consider how harvesting could either directly or indirectly affect the mating system, and thereby modify sexual selection in a way that might affect recruitment. Determining whether phenotypic changes in harvested populations are due to evolution, rather than phenotypic plasticity or environmental variation, has been problematic. Nevertheless, it is likely that some of the observed undesirable changes over time in harvested populations are due to selection against desirable phenotypes normally subjected to natural or sexual selection. Evolution induced by human harvest might greatly increase the time it will take over-harvested populations to recover once harvest is curtailed because harvesting often creates strong selection differentials, whereas curtailing harvest will generally result in only mild selection in the reverse direction.
Contact
George Perry
ghp3@psu.edu