Genetics in Domesticated Species Flashcards
domestication
selection for traits of genetic tameness; domestic animals can tolerate close and continual human presence w/o exhibiting stress or fight or flight and can mate and reproduce in proximity to humans
Belayev’s Farm Fox Experiment
foxes selected for tameness started wagging their tails in 4 generations and developing white splotches; foxes display traits of domestication syndrome within 6 generations
3 pathways of domestication
Commensal, Prey, Directed
Commensal domestication
these aren’t animals that were kept in kennels these were dogs and cats that started hanging around humans because of scavenging or because of rodent populations and in turn selected for animals that were comfortable around people and didn’t get stressed around them
Directed domestication pathway
Remove animals from the wild and select for certain traits to develop a domestic species
Prey domestication pathway
If hunting an animals is easier to do this if controlling the landscape where the animals live then enentually start breeding them
pig domestication pathway
were domesticated twice one through commensal pathway once through prey pathway; domesticated in Near East and East Asia; key domesticate of Polynesians, used for food, hide, bone, bristles, and control refuse (garbage); came from wild boar can still hybridize with them
Domestication syndrome plants
- loss of seed dispersal
- increased grain/ fruit size (we selected for bigger, better tasting fruit)
- loss of environmental sensitivity
- synchronous ripening
- compact growth
- enhanced culinary chemistry
- Reduced armor
- Reduced Toxins
Domestication syndrome animals
- Increased docility
- Coat color changes
- Reduced tooth size
- Craniofacial changes
- Ear/ Tail modifications
- Nonseasonal estrus
- Hormonal changes
- Prolonged juvenile behavior
- Reduced brain size
What underlies domestication syndrome in animals?
Neural crest hypothesis: reduction in neural crest cell migration may underlie most of the conditions in DS meaning these traits were not individually selected for but rather they all sort of go together because they are related to neural crest cells; this is because all these traits are linked to neural crest cell migration changes; see effect of reduced neural crest cell migration by loos of pigment at tips of face, paws, tail, and ventral surface
Dog domestication
First human domesticated species (even before plants) they were likely domesticated in Asia from Eurasian grey wolves; started as commensal domestication (self-domestication) then became obligate scavengers and humans could take them into communities and breed for roles as hunting/ guard dogs/ pets ect; most dogs today live as semi-feral commensal village dogs many live as pets/ working dogs and some are truly feral dingos
dingos
these are dogs that are truly feral they were domestic and ended up loosing domestication and becoming wild again
Natural and artificial selection in dogs
gray wolves most natural selection -> indigenous village dogs (branching to feral dogs and street dogs)-> traditional bred dogs -> registered dog breeds (branching to mixed breeds)= most artificial selection least natural selection (ie natural selection for pure breeds is that they have to stay alive)
- artificial selection basically for personality and then morphological traits such as size, appearance, earlier age of reproduction
domestication and artificial selection
- domestication selected for behavioral changes, smaller body size, earlier age of retro, probs evolved with tameness bc obligate scavengers
- barking likely arose early
- Adapted diet
- modern breeds founded from local dogs or breeds or cross breeding (breeding shifted a lot when focus switched to pure breeds)
roles dogs were bred for
- livestock (gaurd, herding ect)
- sporting- hunting
- service- guard dogs, sled dogs, rescue dogs, tracking dogs, pets, housework, barge, cart, carriage, travois
- Production- meat and fiber
Phenotypic diversity in dogs
huge phenotypic diversity in dogs; great for maping traits like body size; also behavioral diversity but genes not mapped
Cat domestication
- came from middle east
- not as many breeds of cats as of dogs bc cats not as motivated for us to breed purpose into them mostly do rodent control
- mostly selection for coat color variation
- some breeds, most are hybrids (ie Bengal, Savanah Cat ect)