Black grouse hunting

Does hunting affect genetic diversity, inbreeding and dispersal?

Does hunting affect genetic diversity, inbreeding and dispersal?

In my first PhD chapter, we utilised a large dataset of microsatellites to test whether recreational hunting of black grouse is associated with different levels of genetic diversity, inbreeding and dispersal.

We found that inbreeding did not differ significantly between hunted and unhunted sites in neither adults nor chicks. But, immigration into hunted sites appeared higher compared to immigration into unhunted sites, which might indicate that the loss of migrants into hunted sites is compensated for by increased immigration. Read the full article in Evolutionary Applications.