Essay: The Influence Of Artificial Selection

Dogs and cats have become the two most common house pets, yet their ancestors, how they were domesticated, and their purpose is never questioned and if often unknown because of their regularity in our everyday lives. While their origin is debatable, these animals have undergone a human-controlled process that, over-times, has shaped dogs and cats into the companions we know today. Domestication is a continuous movement of favorable characteristics along an animal’s lineage. These characteristics include the innate behavior and the morphology of the animal. The animal’s predisposition towards humans becomes a part of its genetics, unlike taming where only one specific animal in question has gone through “conditioned behavior modification.”
The difference between the two is that strong artificial selection is applied during both prezygotic (before conception) and postzygotic (after birth) points in the animal’s life, the weak form only deals with postzygotic selection. The weak form can appear to be simply taming, and therefore has less of an impact. Even though the effects of it are still seen today, artificial selection of these animals was practiced long ago. Another
One downside to domestication may be the fact that dogs specifically have become dependent on their caretakers, as oppose to wolves who can hunt. This need for human guidance can stump a guide dog at any moment, yet this is just one problem that can easily be solved with more training. (“A Review of Domestic Dogs,” Udell and Wynne) In the end the pros of having domesticated these animals outnumber the cons of having done so. While science continues to search for the exact distinction of where these animals stemmed from, it is safe to say artificial selection is behind it and their existence is not in