Domestication Flashcards
(19 cards)
1
Q
timings and locations of domestication
A
- domestication has occurred all over the world
- dates are fairly recent$
2
Q
how does domestication relate to sedentary cultures
A
- reduction in nomadic lifestyle likely prompted domestication
- domestication makes sedentary lifestyle easier
- positive feedback loop
3
Q
list the three domestication pathways
A
- commensal
- prey
- directed
4
Q
what is the commensal domestication pathway
A
- individuals of a species attracted to human settlements to scavenge for good or to find some kind of support
- it is beneficial to both parties
- individuals are attracted towards human societies and bring along more animals
5
Q
what is the prey domestication pathway
A
- animals first hunted then progressively managed
- humans manipulate environments to simplify hunting and eventually lead to penned-up farming environments
- humans move the animals around the landscape – learn which directions to approach from and manage the environment to optimize hunting
6
Q
directed domestication pathway
A
- deliberate and directed process initiated by humans
7
Q
what domestication pathway was used to domesticate dogs?
A
- combination of commensal and directed
8
Q
what is domestication syndrome
A
- crucial changes that happen during domestication
- includes traits that aren’t specifically selected for
- syndrome is a collection of traits that often go together
9
Q
what is the evidence for domestication syndrome?
A
- Belyaev said that animals are only selected for tameness
- Gave them scores based on tameness and used them to reproduce
- Graphs show scoring over time of the animals
- Noticed many other changes even when they weren’t selected for
- Tameness is a property of youth and by selecting for tameness, you bring along other characteristics of youth
10
Q
how does brain size compare in domesticated vs nondomesticated species?
A
- domesticated species have overall smaller brains (relative to the size of the rest of their body)
11
Q
Neural crest hypothesis in domestication syndrome
A
- seemingly unrelated traits that change in the domestication syndrome result from changes to the neural crest cells during embryonic development
12
Q
what are neural crest cells
A
- stem cells that develop at the edge of the neural tube during vertebrate embryonic development and migrate throughout the body
- give rise to:
- skull, sympathetic ganglia, adrenal medulla
- influences adrenal glands, which have a key role in stress responses
13
Q
expensive tissue hypothesis
A
- Physiological explanation for domestication syndrome
- Animal must change its diet to fit in with the humans
- The expensive tissues take more energy to develop
- Most domestic animals are adapted to optimize one to increase fitness – can’t have all
- Ex: animals eating foods that humans leave behind must be able to eat more carbs
- To invest in one, something else has to give
Idea that they sacrificed brain and nervous system to enhance another expensive tissue
- To invest in one, something else has to give
14
Q
are domesticated animals dumber?
A
- there is not evidence for general changes in cognition
- most studies are on dogs and wolves - very few outside of that
15
Q
directed domestication in working dogs
A
- directed domestication gets dogs with a specific behavior
- have to tune natural behaviors to get the behavior you want, can’t just introduce a brand new behavior
16
Q
describe the case study investigating dog interactions with humans
A
- Is it something fundamental in the species or due to their living with humans?
- Dogs/wolves allowed to look in one container with the food
- Given 36 attempts
- Humans in room
- C – control just standing there
- P – pointing at container with food
- GP – gaze and point
- GPT – gaze, point, and touch
17
Q
describe the social differences between dogs and wolves
A
- domesticated animals have better understanding of humans and human interactions
- dogs more likely to look to humans for help (toy under bed)
18
Q
what are the drawbacks to comparing dogs to wolves
A
- genetic bottleneck makes it so that modern wolves are different from the ancestral wolves that dogs are descended from
19
Q
what is the best way to compare dogs to wolves
A
- wild dogs that don’t live with humans are the best representative
- free range dogs are mostly solitary foragers
- only hunt small animals
- social grouping is more loose/optional
