Dogs come in all shapes, sizes, colors, fur type and have different temperments and behaviors. Over the years, people have domesticated dogs from once wild wolves. People have bred dogs for all types of reasons - to be good hunters to good companion animals. But does this selective breeding have anything to do with Darwin's theory of Natural Selection?
Read the following article from sciencedaily.com: "Survival of the Cutest' Proves Darwin Right" to help you explain how selective breeding relates to Darwin's theory of Natural Selection.
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This article touches on the fact that domesticated animals face much less (if any) natural predators in their lifetime. This means domesticated dogs have much more room to evolve and develop then other animals closely related. Certain traits like head size do not hurt or harm the animal, but the trait still develops because nothing is in the way. Compared to animals that have predators and struggle, there is a lot more evolution occuring in domesticated dogs.
ReplyDeleteIt's common sense that most people pick their dogs based off of how cute they are. In this case, natural selection is altered to fit our wants and needs rather than nature itself. What may have started as what breed could be a better hunting dog ended up overtime as what breed is the cutest? Now, thanks to the selective breeding and natural selection, we have the cute dogs that are good hunters, good runners, whatever we need.
ReplyDeleteMost people choose a certain type of dog because of its abilities, as in running or strength. Also, people commonly choose a certain breed because of its cuteness. Natural selection is changed because people want their dogs to look a certain way and to have certain abilities too. Due to this change, the dogs, now, are cute and are able to do the things that their owners want them to be able to do.
ReplyDeleteNatural selections sees the gene pool of a species being altered as to adapt to an environment in order to survive. This explains why there is fewer variety in wild dogs' genotypes than domestic dogs'- in the wild, the surviving dogs will all carry similar traits that allow them to live in their habitat. Domestic dogs defy natural selection- with domesticated dogs, all traits will survive because there is no need to fight for survival.
ReplyDeleteIt seems almost impossible to me that a tiny Chihuahua could have once been a fierce wolf. But over time, they lost all of the characteristics that made a "big bad wolf" the feared animal that it once was. The Chihuahua lost these traits because they do not have to fight,hunt for food,or be the fittest to survive. They simply depend on people to hand them a bowl of dog food and take them on a walk. The Chihuahua adapted to the wants of humans, which was a cute pet that could be snuggled with and carried anywhere. Their characteristics are the reason why the breed is so popular, proving that it now is the survival of the cutest.
ReplyDeleteOver the last few hundred years, humans have bred a variety of domesticated dogs together to obtain a certain trait that would benefit the dog's owner. Some people wanted dogs that could help them on the hunt so they bred sight and scent hound such as the Beagle and Irish Setter. Many people worked on farms so they needed herding and kart pulling dogs such as the Boarder Collie and Bernese Mountain Dog. Still others wanted easy to train guard and companion dogs like the German Shepard, Rottweiler, American Pit bull Terrier, Doberman, and Dalmatian to name a few. The majority of dogs are able to live an easy and comfortable life with the many variations on their bodies that would not allow them to survive in the wild because of the help that they get from their owners. Darwin's theory of natural selection has (for dogs) become human selection as the want or need of a certain quality in a dog is presented.
ReplyDeleteThroughout history we have always tried to get nature to work for us. The same goes for dogs. People have bred dogs for many purposes such as guarding, hunting, and working. People selectively breed dogs for the best traits for trade. These traits can be very specific resulting in a wide variety of strikingly different pooches. The dachshund, for example, was bred to hunt badgers. Badgers live in low, narrow, holes so hunters needed a low, narrow dog with a loud bark to alert the hunter. Breeders still select dogs today for many different qualities. We control which traits get passed on and which traits eventually disappear from the gene pool.
ReplyDeleteDarwin's theory of evolution does not exactly go spot on with the domestication of dogs but, it definetly presents a similar structure into knowing how people domesticated dogs. People usaully pick dogs for certain traits, and these traits can be perceived as strength or fitness. Also, natural selection can be perceived as the persons need or want for the dog, for example some people want a companion dog or a hunting dog. So basically, selective breeding does relate very much to Darwin's theory.
ReplyDeleteThis article is comparing evolution path of domestic dogs, with Darwin's theory of evolution. As stated in the article, dogs are breed based a lot on their looks. This causes a lot of genetic variation amongst dogs. Then, because their are now no predators for the dog, and they don't have to hunt for their food, survival of the fittest doesn't take place the same way. Almost all the dogs can survive and reproduce, furthering the amount of genetic variation.
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