Genetic effects of harvest on wild animal populations

Fred W. Allendorf, Phillip R. England, Gordon Luikart, Peter A. Ritchie, Nils Ryman

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

504 Scopus citations

Abstract

Human harvest of animals in the wild occurs in terrestrial and aquatic habitats throughout the world and is often intense. Harvest has the potential to cause three types of genetic change: alteration of population subdivision, loss of genetic variation, and selective genetic changes. To sustain the productivity of harvested populations, it is crucial to incorporate genetic considerations into management. Nevertheless, it is not necessary to disentangle genetic and environmental causes of phenotypic changes to develop management plans for individual species. We recommend recognizing that some genetic change due to harvest is inevitable. Management plans should be developed by applying basic genetic principles combined with molecular genetic monitoring to minimize harmful genetic change.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)327-337
Number of pages11
JournalTrends in Ecology and Evolution
Volume23
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2008

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Genetic effects of harvest on wild animal populations'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this