Genetic effects of a maximal harvest schedule

Abstract

AbstractA mathematical method of maximizing the reproductive efficiency of captive populations is evaluated for its efficacy in very small breeding groups and for its effect on the loss of genetic variability. The evaluation consists of comparing reproductive performance of simulated populations having demographic characteristics similar to a small troop of rhesus kept at the Vilas Park Zoo in Madison, WI, under two age‐specific removal strategies. It was found that a “maximal harvest schedule” (in which a portion of the animals reaching age 1, and all animals age 19, were removed) resulted in a higher rate of reproduction than did a “random harvest schedule” that removed a fixed proportion of all age classes. Little or no difference between the two removal strategies was found in between‐locus variance calculated for 40 simulated genetic loci. From these results we conclude that a maximal harvest strategy may be an effective way to increase reproductive efficiency in small captive populations, and that such a strategy per se may not accelerate the loss of genetic variability.