Domestication
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2008-07-15T21:49:26Z
98.19.78.156
/* Hybrid domestic animals */
<!--This article is in Commonwealth English-->
[[Image:Backing sheep at sheepdog competition.jpg|right|250px|thumb|[[Dogs]] and [[sheep]] were among the first animals to be domesticated.]]
'''Domestication''' refers to the process whereby a [[population]] of [[animals]] or [[plant]]s, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. Humans have brought these populations under their care for a wide range of reasons: to produce [[food]] or valuable [[commodity|commodities]] (such as [[wool]], [[cotton]], or [[silk]]), for help with various types of [[Labour (economics)|work]] (such as transportation or protection), for protection of themselves and livestock, and to enjoy as [[pet]]s or [[ornamental plant]]s.
Plants domesticated primarily for [[aesthetic]] enjoyment in and around the home are usually called ''house plants'' or ''ornamentals'', while those domesticated for large-scale food production are generally called ''crops''. A distinction can be made between those domesticated plants that have been deliberately altered or selected for special desirable characteristics (see [[cultigen]]) and those domesticated plants that are essentially no different from their wild counterparts (assuming domestication does not necessarily imply physical modification). Likewise, animals domesticated for home companionship are usually called ''[[pet]]s'' while those domesticated for food or work are called ''[[livestock]]'' or ''farm animals''.
== Process ==
There is debate within the scientific community over how the process of domestication works. Some researchers give credit to [[natural selection]], where [[mutations]] outside of human control make some members of a species more compatible to human cultivation or companionship. Others have shown that carefully controlled [[selective breeding]] is responsible for many of the collective changes associated with domestication. These categories are not mutually exclusive and it is likely that natural selection and selective breeding have both played some role in the processes of domestication throughout history. Either way, a process of selection is involved.
The domestication of [[wheat]] provides an example of how natural selection and mutation can play a key role in the process. Wild wheat falls to the ground to reseed itself when it is ripe, but domesticated wheat stays on the stem when it is ripe. There is evidence that this critical change came about as a result of a random mutation near the beginning of wheat's [[cultivation]]. Wheat with this mutation was the only wheat harvested and became the seed for the next crop. This wheat was much more useful to farmers and became the basis for the various strains of domesticated wheat that have since been developed.
The example of wheat has led some to speculate that mutations may have been the basis for other early instances of domestication. It is speculated that a mutation made some [[wolf|wolves]] less wary of humans. This allowed these wolves to start following humans to scavenge for food in their garbage dumps. Presumably something like a [[symbiotic]] relationship developed between humans and this population of wolves. The wolves benefited from human food scraps, and humans may have found that the wolves could warn them of approaching enemies, help with hunting, carry loads, provide warmth, or supplement their food supply. As this relationship evolved, humans eventually began to raise the wolves and breed the types of dogs that we have today.
Nonetheless, some researchers maintain that selective breeding rather than mutation or natural selection best explains how the process of domestication typically worked. Some of the most well-known evidence in support of selective breeding comes from an experiment by Russian scientist, [[Dmitri Belyaev]], in the 1950s. His team spent many years breeding the [[Tame Silver Fox|Silver Fox]] (''Vulpes vulpes'') and selecting only those individuals that showed the least fear of humans. Eventually, Belyaev's team selected only those that showed the most positive response to humans. He ended up with a population of grey-coloured foxes whose behavior and appearance was significantly changed. They no longer showed any fear of humans and often wagged their tails and licked their human caretakers to show affection. More importantly, these foxes had floppy ears, smaller skulls, rolled tails and other traits commonly found in [[dogs]].
Despite the success of this experiment, some scientists believe that selective breeding cannot always achieve domestication. They point out that known attempts to domesticate several kinds of wild animals in this way have failed repeatedly. The [[zebra]] is one example. It is possible that the historical process of domestication cannot be fully explained by any one principle acting alone. Some combination of natural selection and selective breeding may have played a role in the domestication of the various species that humans have come into close contact with throughout history.
=== Animals ===
<!-- Are there other theories?-->
According to [[evolutionary biology|evolutionary biologist]] [[Jared Diamond]], [[animal]] [[species]] must meet six criteria in order to be considered for domestication:
[[Image:Cows in green field - nullamunjie olive grove03.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Hereford cattle, domesticated for beef production.]]
#Flexible [[diet (nutrition)|diet]] — Creatures that are willing to consume a wide variety of food sources and can live off less cumulative food from the [[Ecological pyramid|food pyramid]] (such as [[corn]] or [[wheat]]) are less expensive to keep in [[captivity]]. Most [[carnivore]]s can only be fed [[meat]], which requires the expenditure of many [[herbivores]].
#Reasonably fast [[growth rate]] — Fast maturity rate compared to the human life span allows breeding intervention and makes the animal useful within an acceptable duration of caretaking. Large animals such as [[elephant]]s require many years before they reach a useful size.
#Ability to be [[Selective breeding|bred]] in captivity — Creatures that are reluctant to breed when kept in captivity do not produce useful offspring, and instead are limited to capture in their wild state. Creatures such as the [[panda]] and [[cheetah]] are difficult to breed in captivity.
#Pleasant disposition — Large creatures that are [[Aggression|aggressive]] toward humans are dangerous to keep in captivity. The [[African buffalo]] has an unpredictable nature and is highly dangerous to humans. Although similar to domesticated pigs in many ways, American [[peccary|peccaries]] and Africa's [[warthog]]s and [[bushpig]]s are also dangerous in captivity.
#[[Temperament]] which makes it unlikely to [[panic]] — A creature with a nervous disposition is difficult to keep in captivity as they will attempt to flee whenever they are startled. The [[gazelle]] is very flighty and it has a powerful leap that allows it to escape an enclosed pen. Some animals, such as [[Domestic sheep]], still have a strong tendency to panic when their [[flight zone]] is crossed. However, most sheep also show a [[herding|flocking]] instinct, whereby they stay close together when pressed. Livestock with such an instinct may be herded by people and [[Herding dog|dog]]s.
#Modifiable [[social hierarchy]] — Social creatures that recognize a hierarchy of dominance can be raised to recognize a human as its pack [[Leadership|leader]]. [[Antelope]] and [[giant forest hog]]s are territorial when breeding and cannot be maintained in crowded enclosures in captivity.
=== Plants ===
{{seealso|Agriculture|Agronomy}}
The earliest human attempts at plant domestication occurred in Asia. There is early evidence for conscious cultivation and trait selection of plants by pre-Neolithic groups in Syria: grains of [[rye]] with domestic traits have been recovered from [[Epi-Palaeolithic]] (ca. 11,000 BC) contexts at [[Abu Hureyra]] in [[Syria]], but this appears to be a localised phenomenon resulting from cultivation of stands of wild rye, rather than a definitive step towards domestication.
By 10,000 BC the [[bottle gourd]] (''Lagenaria siceraria'') plant, used as a container before the advent of ceramic technology, appears to have been domesticated. The domesticated bottle gourd reached the Americas from Asia by 8000 BC, probably with peoples migrating into the continent from Asia.<ref>[http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0509279102v1 pnas.org]</ref>
Cereal crops were first domesticated around 9000 BC in the [[Fertile Crescent]] in the [[Middle East]]. The first domesticated crops were generally annuals with large seeds or fruits. These included [[legume|pulse]]s such as [[pea]]s and grains such as [[wheat]].
The Middle East was especially suited to these species; the dry-summer climate was conducive to the evolution of large-seeded annual plants, and the variety of elevations led to a great variety of species. As domestication took place humans began to move from a [[hunter-gatherer]] society to a settled agricultural society. This change would eventually lead, some 4000 to 5000 years later, to the first city states and eventually the rise of [[civilization]] itself.
Domestication was gradual, a process of trial and error that occurred slowly. Over time perennials and small trees began to be domesticated including [[apple]]s and [[olive]]s. Some plants were not domesticated until recently such as the [[macadamia nut]] and the [[pecan]].
In different parts of the world very different species were domesticated. In the [[Americas]] [[squash (fruit)|squash]], [[maize]], [[beans]], and perhaps [[manioc]] (also known as [[cassava]]) formed the core of the diet. In East Asia [[millets]], [[rice]], and [[soy]] were the most important crops. Some areas of the world such as [[Southern Africa]], [[Australia]] and <!--"(more surprisingly)" - why is this more surprising?--> [[California]] and [[Southern Cone|southern South America]] never saw local species domesticated.
Over the millennia many domesticated species have become utterly unlike their natural ancestors. [[Maize]] [[Ear (botany)|ears]] are now dozens of times the size of those of wild [[Teosinte]]. A similar change occurred between [[wild strawberry|wild strawberries]] and [[Garden Strawberry|domesticated strawberries]].{{fact|date=March 2008}}
{{Seealso|Cultigen}}
The results/effects of plant domestication include:{{Fact|date=October 2007}}
* Higher germination rates
* Greater germination predictability
* More uniform timing of germination
* Increased size of reproductive organs
* Reduced complexity of reproductive organs
* Reduction of toxicity (humans select against self defense mechanisms)
* Change in biomass allocation (more in fruits, roots, or stems, depending on human preference)
* Change in life cycle (normally from perennial to annual for seed crops, and from annual to biennial for vegetable crops)
== Degrees ==
The boundaries between surviving wild populations and domestic [[Cladistics|clades]] of elephants, for example, can become vague. This is due to their slow growth. Similar problems of definition arise when, for example, domesticated cats go feral. A [[Categorization|classification]] system that can help solve this confusion might be set up on a spectrum of increasing domestication:
* '''Wild''': These populations experience their full life cycles without deliberate human intervention.
* '''Raised in captivity''' (in [[zoo]]s or [[botanical garden]]s): These populations are nurtured and sometimes bred under human control, but remain as a group essentially indistinguishable in appearance or behaviour from their wild counterparts. (It should be noted that zoos and botanical gardens sometimes exhibit domesticated or feral animals and plants such as [[camels]], [[Mustang (horse)|mustang]]s, and some [[orchids]].)
* '''Raised commercially''' (captive or semidomesticated): These populations are [[ranch]]ed or [[farm]]ed in large numbers for food, commodities, or the pet trade, but as a group they are not substantially altered in appearance or behavior. Examples include the [[elephant]], [[ostrich]], [[deer]], [[alligator]], [[Cricket (insect)|cricket]], [[pearl]] [[oyster]], and [[ball python]]. (These species are sometimes referred to as ''partially domesticated''.)
* '''Domesticated''': These populations are bred and raised under human control for many generations and are substantially altered as a group in appearance or behaviour. Examples include the [[Canary]], [[Pigeon]]s, the [[Budgerigar]], the [[peach-faced Lovebird]], [[dog]]s, [[cat]]s, [[sheep]], [[cattle]], [[chicken]]s, [[llama]]s, [[guinea pig]]s and laboratory [[mouse|mice]].
This classification system does not account for several complicating factors: [[genetically modified]] organisms, [[feral]] populations, and [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrid]]ization. Many species that are farmed or ranched are now being genetically modified. This creates a unique category because it alters the organisms as a group but in ways unlike traditional domestication. Feral organisms are members of a population that was once raised under human control, but is now living and multiplying outside of human control. Examples include [[Mustang (horse)|mustangs]]. Hybrids can be wild, domesticated, or both: a [[liger]] is a hybrid of two wild animals, a [[mule]] is a hybrid of two domesticated animals, and a [[beefalo]] is a cross between a wild and a domestic animal.
A great difference exists between a tame animal and a domesticated animal. The term "domesticated" refers to an entire species or variety while the term "tame" can refer to just one individual within a species or variety. Humans have tamed many thousands of animals that have never been truly domesticated. These include the elephant, giraffes, and bears. There is debate over whether some species have been domesticated or just tamed. Some state that the elephant has been domesticated, while others argue the cat has never been. One dividing line is whether a specimen born to wild parents would differ in behavior from one born to domesticated parents. For instance a dog is certainly domesticated because even a [[wolf]] (genetically the origin of all dogs) raised from a [[pup]] would be very different from a dog.
== Limits ==
Despite long enthusiasm about revolutionary progress in farming, few crops and probably even fewer animals ever became domesticated.
Domesticated species, when bred for tractability, companionship or ornamentation rather than for survival, can often fall prey to disease: several sub-species of apples or cattle, for example, face extinction; and many dogs with very respectable [[pedigree]]s appear prone to [[Genetic disorder|genetic problems]].
One side effect of domestication has been disease. For example, cattle have given humanity various [[poxviridae|viral pox]]es, [[measles]], and [[tuberculosis]]; pigs have given [[influenza]]; and horses have given the [[rhinovirus]]es. Humans share over sixty diseases with dogs. Many [[parasite]]s also have their origins in domestic animals.
== Dates and places ==
[[Image:Egyptian Domesticated Animals.jpg|thumb|right|Early domestication: [[cow]] being milked in [[ancient Egypt]].]]
Since the process of domestication inherently takes many generations over a long period of time, and the spread of breed and husbandry techniques is also slow, it is not meaningful to give a single "date of domestication". The methods available to estimate domestication dates introduce further uncertainty, especially when domestication has occurred in the distant past. So the dates given here should be treated with caution; in some cases evidence is scanty and future discoveries may alter the dating significantly.
Dates and places of domestication are mainly estimated by [[archaeology|archaeological]] methods, more precisely [[archaeozoology]]. These methods consist of excavating or studying the results of excavation in human prehistorical occupation sites. Animal remains are dated with archaeological methods, the species they belong to is determined, the age at death is also estimated, and if possible the form they had, that is to say a possible domestic form. Various other clues are taken advantage of, such as slaughter or cutting marks. The aim is to determine if they are game or raised animal, and more globally the nature of their relationship with humans. For example the skeleton of a cat found buried close to humans is a clue that it may have been a pet cat. The age structure of animal remains can also be a clue of husbandry, in which animals were killed at the optimal age.
New technologies and especially [[mitochondrial DNA]] provide an alternative angle of investigation, and make it possible to reestimate the dates of domestication based on research into the genealogical tree of modern domestic animals.
It is admitted for several species that domestication occurred in several places distinctly. However, this does not rule out later crossing inside a species; therefore it appears useless to look for a separate wild ancestor for each domestic breed.
The first animal to be domesticated appears to have been the dog, in the [[Upper Paleolithic]] era; this preceded the domestication of other species by several millennia. In the [[Neolithic]] a number of important species (such as the goat, sheep, pig and cow) were domesticated, as part of [[Neolithic Revolution|the spread of farming which characterizes this period]]. The goat, sheep and pig in particular
were domesticated independently in the [[Levant]] and [[Asia]].
There is early evidence of [[beekeeping]], in the form of [[cave painting|rock painting]]s, dating to 13,000 BC.
Recent archaeological evidence from Cyprus indicates domestication of a type of [[cat]] by perhaps 7500 BC.
The earliest secure evidence of [[horse]] domestication, bit wear on horse molars at [[Dereivka]] in Ukraine, dates to around 4000BC. The ''unequivocal'' date of domestication and use as a means of transport is at the [[Sintashta]] chariot burials in the southern Urals, ca 2000 BC. Local equivalents and smaller species were domesticated from the 2500s BC.
The availability of both domesticated vegetable and animal species increased suddenly following the voyages of [[Christopher Columbus]] and the contact between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. This is part of what is referred to as the [[Columbian Exchange]].
===Approximate dates and locations of original domestication===
{{Conservation status}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width: 12em;" | Species !!Date !! Location
|-
|valign="top"| [[Dog]] (Canis lupus familiaris)
|15000 BC <ref name="dog">See [[Origin of the domestic dog]]</ref>
|align="center"|[[East Asia]]
|-
|valign="top"| [[Domestic sheep|Sheep]] (Ovis aries)
|between 9-11000 BC<ref>{{cite book | author=Krebs, Robert E. & Carolyn A. | title=Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions & Discoveries of the Ancient World | location=Westport, CT | publisher=Greenwood Press | year=2003 | id=ISBN 0-313-31342-3}}</ref> <ref name="storey">{{cite book |title=Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep |last=Simmons |first=Paula |coauthors=Carol Ekarius |year=2001 |publisher=Storey Publishing LLC |location=North Adams, MA |isbn=978-1-58017-262-2 }}</ref>
|align="center"|[[Southwest Asia]]
|-
|valign="top"| [[Goat]] (Capra aegagrus hircus)
|10000 BC <ref>Melinda A. Zeder, [http://web.utk.edu/~persian/goat.htm Goat busters track domestication] (Physiologic changes and evolution of goats into a domesticated animal), April 2000, {{en icon}}.</ref>
|align="center"|[[Iran]]
|-
|valign="top"| [[Domestic pig|Pig]] (Sus scrofa domestica)
|9000 BC<ref>Giuffra E, Kijas JM, Amarger V, Carlborg O, Jeon JT, Andersson L. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10747069&query_hl=4&itool=pubmed_docsum The origin of the domestic pig: independent domestication and subsequent introgression.], April 2000, {{en icon}}.</ref>
|align="center"|[[Near East]], [[China]]
|-
|valign="top"| [[Cow]] (Bos taurus)
|8000 BC<ref>[http://www.comp-archaeology.org/WendorfSAA98.html Late Neolithic megalithic structures at Nabta Playa (Sahara), southwestern Egypt.]</ref>{{,}}<ref>Source : Laboratoire de Préhistoire et
Protohistoire de l'Ouest de la France [http://palissy.humana.univ-nantes.fr/LABOS/UMR/serveur/recherche/pruvost.html], {{fr icon}}.</ref>
|align="center"|[[Indian subcontinent|India]], [[Middle East]], and [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]
|-
|valign="top"| [[Cat]] (Felis silvestris catus)
|7500 BC <ref> ''[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/04/0408_040408_oldestpetcat.html]'', domestication of the cat on Cyprus, National Geographic.</ref>
|align="center"|[[Near East]]
|-
|valign="top"| [[Chicken]] (Gallus gallus)
|6000 BC<ref>West B. and Zhou, B-X., ''Did chickens go north? New evidence for domestication'', World’s Poultry Science
Journal, 45, 205-218, 1989, {{PDFlink|[http://www.adelaide.edu.au/ANZCCART/publications/dom_chicken.pdf quotation]|26.3 [[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 26978 bytes -->}}, 8 p. {{en icon}}.</ref>
|align="center"|[[Indian subcontinent|India]] and [[Southeast Asia]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Guinea pig]] (Cavia porcellus)
|5000 BC<ref>[http://cavyhistory.tripod.com/ ''History of the Guinea Pig'' (Cavia porcellus) ''in South America, a summary of the current state of knowledge''] </ref>
|align="center"|[[Peru]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Donkey]] (Equus Asinus)
|5000 BC<ref>Beja-Pereira, Albano et al., African Origins of the Domestic Donkey, ''Science'' '''304''':1781, [[18 June]] [[2004]], cited in [http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6032 ''New Scientist''], {{en icon}}.</ref>{{,}}<ref>Roger Blench, {{PDFlink|''[http://www.animaltraction.net/donkeys/donkeys-blench-history.pdf The history and spread of donkeys in Africa]''|235 [[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 241537 bytes -->}} {{en icon}}.</ref>
|align="center"|[[Egypt]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Domestic buffalo|Water buffalo]] (Bubalus bubalis)
|4000 BC
|align="center"|[[India]], [[China]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Horse]] (Equus caballus)
|4000 BC<ref>[http://www.imh.org/imh/kyhpl1b.html The Domestication of the Horse]; see also [[Domestication of the horse]]</ref>
|align="center"|[[Central Asia]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Dromedary]] (Camelus dromedarius)
|4000 BC
|align="center"|[[Arabia]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Llama]] (Lama glama)
|3500 BC
|align="center"|[[Peru]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Silkworm]] (Bombyx mori)
|3000 BC
|align="center"|[[China]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Domestic pigeon|Rock pigeon]] (Columba livia)
|3000 BC
|align="center"|[[Mediterranean Basin]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Domestic goose|Goose]]
|3000 BC<ref>[http://www.fao.org/docrep/V6200T/v6200T0n.htm Geese: the underestimated species<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
|align="center"|[[Egypt]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Bactrian camel]] (Camelus bactrianus)
|2500 BC
|align="center"|[[Central Asia]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Yak]] (Bos grunniens)
|2500 BC
|align="center"|[[Tibet]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Banteng]] (Bos javanicus)
|Unknown
|align="center"|[[Southeast Asia]], [[Java Island]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Gayal]] (Bos gaurus frontalis)
|Unknown
|align="center"|[[Southeast Asia]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Alpaca]] (Vicugna pacos)
|1500 BC
|align="center"|[[Peru]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Ferret]]
|1500 BC-
|align="center"|[[Europe]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Domesticated duck]]
|1000 BC
|align="center"|[[China]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Muscovy Duck]]
|Unknown
|align="center"|[[South America]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Guineafowl]]
|Unknown
|align="center"|[[Africa]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Common carp]]
|Unknown
|align="center"|[[East Asia]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Domesticated turkey]]
|500 BC
|align="center"|[[Mexico]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Goldfish]]
|Unknown
|align="center"|[[China]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[European Rabbit]]
|1600
|align="center"|[[Europe]]
|}
'''Second circle'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width: 12em;" | Species !!Date !! Location
|-
|valign="top"|[[Zebu]]
|8000 BC
|align="center"|India
|-
|valign="top"|[[Honey bee]]
|4000 BC
|align="center"|Multiple places
|-
|valign="top"|[[Asian Elephant]]
|2000 BC
|align="center"|[[Indus Valley civilization]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Fallow Deer]]
|1000 BC
|align="center"|[[Mediterranean Basin]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Indian Peafowl]]
|500 BC
|align="center"|[[India]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Barbary Dove]]
|500 BC
|align="center"|[[North Africa]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Japanese Quail]] (''see [[Quail]]'')
|1100–1900
|align="center"|[[Japan]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Canary]]
|1600
|align="center"|[[Canary Islands]], [[Europe]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Mandarin Duck]]
|Unknown
|align="center"|[[China]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Mute Swan]]
|1000–1500
|align="center"|[[Europe]]
|}
=== Modern instances ===
<!-- this should really be a wikitable format like above MKV -->
{{Original research|date=September 2007}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width: 12em;" | Species !!Date !! Location
|-
|valign="top"|[[Rat]]
|1800s
|align="center"|[[UK]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Fox]]
|1800s
|align="center"|[[Europe]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Mink]]
|1800s
|align="center"|[[Europe]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Budgerigar]]
|1850s
|align="center"|[[Europe]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Cockatiel]]
|1870s
|align="center"|[[Europe]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Zebra Finch]]
|1900s
|align="center"|[[Australia]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Hamster]]
|1930s
|align="center"|[[United States]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Tame Silver Fox|Silver Fox]]
|1950s
|align="center"|[[Soviet Union]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Muskox]]
|1960s
|align="center"|[[United States]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Corn Snake]]
|1960s
|align="center"|[[United States]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Red Deer]]
|1970s
|align="center"|[[New Zealand]]
|-
|valign="top"|[[Hedgehog]]
|1980s
|align="center"|[[United States]]
|-
|}
A project is underway to that is attempting to find the genetic basis for taming. Researchers at the Max Planck institute have reared two sets of rats. One set has been selected for aggressive traits and another for more tame traits. The researchers hope to mimic the process by which neolithic farmers first domesticated animals.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107670/ Nice Rats, Nasty Rats: Maybe It’s All in the Genes]</ref>
=== Former instances===
Some species are said to have been domesticated, but are not any more, either because they have totally disappeared, or since their domestic form no longer exists. An example would be the [[African elephant|African]] and [[Asian elephant|Asian]] elephants (See [[War elephant]]) and [[Bos aegyptiacus]].
===Hybrid domestic animals===
* [[Alpaca]]: DNA evidence shows that they're a [[llama]]/[[Vicuna]] hybrid
* [[Beefalo]]
* [[Bengal cat]]
* [[Cama (animal)]]
* [[Chausie]]
* [[Cheetoh]]
* [[Coydog]]
* [[Dzo]]
* [[Sheep-goat hybrid]]
* [[Hinny]]
* [[Huarizo]]
* [[Iron Age Pig]]
* [[Mule]]
* [[Ocicat]]
* [[Savannah (cat)]]
* [[Tigon]]
* [[Wolfdog]]
* [[Wolphin]]
* [[Yakalo]]
* [[Zeedonk]]
* [[Zetland]]
* [[Zobo (animal)]]
* [[Zorse]]
* [[Zony]]
* [[Zubron]]
== Genetic pollution ==
{{main|Genetic pollution}}
Animals of domestic origin and [[feral]] ones sometimes can produce fertile hybrids with native, wild animals which leads to [[genetic pollution]] in the naturally evolved wild gene pools, many a times threatening rare species with [[extinction]]. Cases include the mallard duck, wildcat, wild boar, the [[rock dove]] or pigeon, the Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus) (ancestor of all chickens), carp, and more recently salmon.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Another example is the [[dingo]], itself an early feral dog, which hybridizes with dogs of European origin. On the other hand, genetic pollution seems not to be noticed for rabbit. There is much debate over the degree to which feral hybridization compromises the purity of a wild species. In the case of the mallard, for example, some claim there are no populations which are completely free of any domestic ancestor.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
== See also ==
* Lists and timelines
** [[List of domesticated animals]]
** [[List of domesticated plants]]
** [[List of domesticated fungi and microorganisms]]
** [[Timeline of agriculture and food technology]]
* Articles
** [[Animal husbandry]]
** [[Columbian Exchange]]
** [[Domestication of the horse]]
** [[Experimental evolution]]
** [[Feral]]
** [[Gene pool]]
** [[Genetic erosion]]
** [[Genetic pollution]]
** [[Genetic engineering]]
** [[Horticulture]]
** [[Hybrid (biology)|Hybrid]]
** [[Lion taming]]
** [[Marker assisted selection]]
** [[Military animals]]
** [[Pedomorphosis]]
** [[Selective breeding]]
** [[Turkey (domesticated)]]
** [[Wildness]]
** [[Wildlife]]
* Related
** [[Domestication theory]] describes the process of the 'taming' or appropriation of [[technology]] by its users.
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
{{Wiktionarypar|domestication|taming}}
* [http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1499.htm Discussion of animal domestication]
* ''[[Guns, Germs and Steel]]'' by Jared Diamond (ISBN 0-393-03891-2)
* [http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2004/0408cats.shtml News story] about an early domesticated cat find
* [http://www.devbio.com/article.php?ch=23&id=223 Belyaev experiment] with the domestic fox
* [http://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy00h/domestic.htm Use of Domestic Animals in Zoo Education]
* [http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/276/5314/932 The Initial Domestication of Cucurbita pepo in the Americas 10,000 Years Ago]
* [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12586940&dopt=Abstract Phytolith evidence for early Holocene Cucurbita domestication in southwest Ecuador]
* [http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=16352716 An Asian origin for a 10,000-year-old domesticated plant in the Americas]
[[Category:Domesticated animals| ]]
[[Category:History of agriculture]]
[[ar:استئناس]]
[[ca:Domesticació]]
[[cs:Domestikace]]
[[da:Domesticering]]
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[[es:Domesticación]]
[[eo:Aldomigo]]
[[fr:Domestication]] {{Link FA|fr}}
[[ko:가축화]]
[[hr:Domesticiranje]]
[[id:Domestikasi]]
[[it:Addomesticamento]]
[[he:ביות]]
[[lv:Domestikācija]]
[[ln:Ebwɛ́lɛ́]]
[[hu:Háziasítás]]
[[nl:Domesticatie]]
[[ja:家畜化]]
[[no:Domestisering]]
[[pl:Domestykacja zwierząt]]
[[pt:Domesticação]]
[[ro:Domesticire]]
[[qu:Uywariy]]
[[ru:Одомашнивание]]
[[simple:Domestication]]
[[sk:Domestikácia]]
[[sl:Udomačitev]]
[[sh:Domestikacija]]
[[fi:Kotieläin]]
[[sv:Domesticering]]
[[zh:馴養]]