ANBI 411.3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Adaptation, Omnivore, Precocial
20 Jun 2018
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Lecture 2: Evolution and Domestication
Scientific definition of domestication
- relationship with man
- process where animals adapt to living with humans and in the environment humans
provide for them
these definitions only define the animal relationships, but nothing about how these animals are
different than others
majority of genetic selection was taken place before domestication
circumstances that led to domestication
-environmental changes
- result- likely caused humans and animals to live in the same space
- relationship was forces due to animals moved in smaller groups and were pushed into
smaller spaces due to environment changes
When control over animals by humans did start it was likely with the use if:
-castration
oreduced aggression
ocan control breeding
oexample: intact male horses have larger zone of travel then castrated
-herding
oanimals with the ability to be herded were probably kept
-hobbling
-slaughter
oslaughter the more aggressive ones
othis impacts genetic selection
in the last 50-60 years:
- shift in how genetic selection takes place
oparticular mating
picking who is breed with who, can pick for behavior or other traits
ocomputers
can be used for detailed review of the animal’s traits
oartificial insemination and semen collection
- change in group sizes
ohuge change to animal social behavior
olarge group numbers
owe have bigger size groups this can change social behavior
Behavioral Adaptations – Theories
-domestication might drive animals to develop strategies to reduce activities
oextensive energy conserving foraging behaviors
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Behavioral adaptations theories domestication might drive animals to develop strategies to reduce activities: extensive energy conserving foraging behaviors, aggression, this is called the foraging theory, they reduce their activity to conserve energy for other things. Role of behavior in domestication relationship between humans and animals is important for domestication animals that are more docile generally have a better relationship: docility is the most important behavioral factor in domestication. Hale (1962): produced a list that talked about favorable and unfavorable characteristics for domestication: group structure. Family groupings ( if animals can only live in family groups and then we try to domesticate them and put the family groups together it wont work. Males living separate from females: sexual behavior. Sexual signals given by movements of posture (posture= some sort of body motion (facial expression, body) to show heat and ready to mate) Males must work to establish dominance over females.
