Domestication

Domestication is defined in the article as the manipulation of plants and animals to suit human needs. The article states that it is a gradual process, and domestication itself is not initially the goal. Domestication is the result of human efforts over an extended amount of time in which a species evolves to fit a desireable genotype/phenotype. In the reading it is also stated that domestication may have sparked social change in Africa. With domestication came herding and pastoral lifestyle, a lifestyle which favored certain social structures and may have led to the development of egalitarian societies. In order to sustain a herd of animals humans were forced to live in places that could support the herd, or move with the herd from place to place. Staying in one place allowed human population to florish, and staying on the move with the herd kept human population small and mobile. In either scenario early humans relied on domesticated animals and the animals had a direct affect on human population.
Domestication is defined in the article as the manipulation of plants and animals to suit human needs. The article states that it is a gradual process, and domestication itself is not initially the goal. Domestication is the result of human efforts over an extended amount of time in which a species evolves to fit a desireable genotype/phenotype. In the reading it is also stated that domestication may have sparked social change in Africa. With domestication came herding and pastoral lifestyle, a lifestyle which favored certain social structures and may have led to the development of egalitarian societies. In order to sustain a herd of animals humans were forced to live in places that could support the herd, or move with the herd from place to place. Staying in one place allowed human population to florish, and staying on the move with the herd kept human population small and mobile. In either scenario early humans relied on domesticated animals and the animals had a direct affect on human population.