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

The expression of behavior can vary both among (i.e., animal personality) and within individuals (i.e., plasticity), and investigating causes and consequences of variation has garnered significant attention. Conversely, studies quantifying harvest-induced selection on behavioral traits have received significantly less attention, and work investigating harvest-induced selection 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 personalities. We found significant among-individual variation in all movement traits and considerable plasticity in risk-taking and exploration relative to whether hunting was occurring. We observed that predators selected against similar personalities across both populations, whereas hunters selected for different personalities across populations. We also demonstrated that significant harvest-induced selection acts on risk-taking behaviors in both populations, which could render wild turkeys more difficult to harvest if these traits are indeed heritable.