Join us on Tuesday, January 18th, 2022, 6:00pm for the next edition of the BCWF’s Conservation Webinar Series. Marco Festa-Bianchet; Professor of Ecology; Head, Dept. of Biology; Université de Sherbrooke, will present on the topic “When does selective hunting lead to evolutionary change and what (if anything) should we do about it?”.
Description:
- Most human hunting is selective, sometimes driven by legislation that specifies which animals can be taken.
- If the trait under hunting selection is inheritable, intense selection may lead to evolutionary change in the trait.
- Hunting-driven evolutionary change has been reported for several species of mountain sheep but not for any other ungulate.
- The mating system of mountain sheep makes then highly susceptible to hunter-induced evolution. The result is smaller horns.
- Hunting regulations, possibly combined with immigration during the rut of males from protected areas, can reinforce or weaken the selective effect.
For more information on the presenter: http://marco.recherche.usherbrooke.ca/marco.htm
Watch the Webinar