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.