Selective Breeding and Evolution Discussion

[Lifeisfluid]

Does anyone select any animals or know a lot about the subject? I'd be very interested to discuss any knowledge on the topic. What effects do you think selective breeding will have in the future on animals raised by humans? Can insects ever be truly domesticated? The link below is a fb group where I hoped to also have discussions on the topic.

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Edited January 12, 2019 by swansont
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[druS]

No to you first query but some non-expert observations. Selective breeding of animals by humans is not a thing of the future but has been happening for a very long time.

A couple of things you might want to look into:

The domestic Bengal cat. Initially a hybrid between a domestic cat and the Asian Leopard. The breed is quite popular. Different rules apply in different places but my understanding in Australia is they can't be treated as domestic until the 5th generation. Even after 5 generations they have a distinct personality and behaviour quite unlike other cat breeds. More energy, more aggressive in play, more demanding (owners would say more rewarding) and often like water. (Some people describe them as beinng "dog like". Our breeder still has to intervene early at the fourth generation in order to domesticate the kittens.

The budgerigar. They've been in the news a bit lately (for those who look for these things) as wild stock are flocking at water holes in massive numbers again. It is behaviour that is known but not often seen (in huge numbers anyway). The budgie has been domesticated for decades. The pet budgie is two to three times larger and like most domesticated parrots can translate quite nicely into the role of pet. Considerable breeding effort has resulted in a pet that is much more colourful than than the smaller drab-green wild cousin.

With respect to insects, what does the term "domesticated" mean?

 

Cheers

 

 

[naitche]

 

As has been pointed out,  Selective breeding has been ongoing since domestication.

 

What effect selective breeding has will depend on the purpose  and environmental conditions bred for.

 

 

A written standard, as in the case of 'Pedigree" animals, becomes  the environmental conditions to be met for 'recognition'  or positive identification as a distinct sub-group from the original.

Any diversity is only brought by the purpose and environment of the breeders able to find value in those 'standard conditions'.

When no other purpose than the standard conditions themselves are  recognised by the registering body, diversity is lost until there is no purpose or value to be found.

 

Edited January 13, 2019 by naitche

[naitche]

So a collective of people working towards a goal need to work towards a common purpose, or direction. Not  toward  preset conditions. 

[Itoero]

Ecologists in Australia are mixing endangered animals that have evolved genetic defences against their biggest foe(cane toad) with those that haven’t, in the hope that their offspring will take after the wiser parent. This is selective breeding… The plan is to save the the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) from extinction. I'm very curious if this will work.

On ‎1‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 8:56 PM, Lifeisfluid said:

Can insects ever be truly domesticated

It depends how you define domestication. Plants/animals can adapt to live with humans...

[Lifeisfluid]

Note: I'm not saying selective breeding is of the future. I'm asking how you think current domestic animals will change still in the future. sorry for confusion. 

[naitche]

I don't think there is any way to predict that.

Your mention of insects has me confused. To what purpose would you consider 'domestication' to be useful? What form would this domestication take?

My own feeling is that selective breeding of (mammal)  pets will be phased out through environmental pressure. That would make it far more likely that 'farmed' animals for human consumption would follow the same path eventually.

[Huckleberry of Yore]

Given the rate of technological expansion I expect we are near the cusp of any inflection point where truly amazing things will now be possible.  Gene editing and other technologies will likely result in a vast array of innovations, including developing and modifying species.  Including humans, maybe including wooly mammoths, velociraptors....

[Itoero]

On ‎1‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 10:26 PM, Lifeisfluid said:

Note: I'm not saying selective breeding is of the future. I'm asking how you think current domestic animals will change still in the future. sorry for confusion. 

Global warming changes climates and in the not so far future there will be (on average)less easily drinkable water...maybe this will have an effect on our selective breeding behavior.