Domestocation

Question 1

Define domestication

Answer 1

• human-animal relationship
• human control over life cycle, esp. breeding
• symbiotic relationship
• phenotypic changes from wild stock

“Sustained multigenerational”

Question 2

Define feral

Answer 2

Domesticated animals living away from human influence for multiple generations

• retain morphological aspects
• retain behavioural aspects

Question 3

Define tame

Answer 3

Animals who are socialised with humans

• tractable, approachable

Question 4

Favourable social structure characteristics

Answer 4

Large gregarious social groups

Hierarchical group structure

Question 5

Favourable sexual behaviour characteristics

Answer 5

• promiscuous mating systems

> lack of selective-ness and ability of replacement

Question 6

Favourable parent-young interaction characteristics

Answer 6

• social bonds created through imprinting
• female accepts young soon after hatching
• precocial young

Question 7

Favourable feeding and habitat choice characteristics

Answer 7

• generalist feeder or omnivorous

- wide environment tolerance

Question 8

Favourable response to human characteristics

Answer 8

• short flight distance

- low reactivity to humans or sudden changes in environments

Question 9

Effects of domestication

Answer 9

• selection pressures in wild animals relaxed
• artificial selection
• probably multiple pressures involved
• phenotypic changes
• brain changes

Question 10

Types of phenotypic changes

Answer 10

- behavioural
   > lowered reactivity to humans
- physiological
   > reduced stress
   > oestrous cycle
   > changes in colours/patterns 
- morphological
   > reduced brain and body size

Question 11

Changes in brains

Answer 11

• selection for behavioural traits of reduced activity = small brain
• some brains potentially increase

Question 12

Define pleiotropy

Answer 12

Traits may arise as a result of selection for other traits
> genetic link between a number of traits observed in domestic animals

Ex: Belyaes fix domestication experiment
- foxes bred for tame-ness, those who more curious or friendly were bred with. This lead to the change of fur colour

Question 13

Three ways domestication occurred?

Answer 13

• commensal = animals attracted to anthropogenic areas
  > animal initiated
• prey = humans wanting more/predictable yield of prey/harvest
  > human initiated
• directed = deliberate process, animals probably lack important characteristics