Essay On Selective Breeding

Selective Breeding

Selective Breeding, also known as “Artificial Selection,” is an advanced genetic class that is constructed by two categories, inbreeding and hybridization. It is a process when scientists develop particular phenotypic traits that they purposely want to be passed down to offspring. Scientists study these specific traits and spend time to calculate how heritable the traits are. The more the trait is expressed in the offspring, the more heritable they are. The more inherited allele in a gene is called dominant, while the less common allele is recessive. The study of artificial selection began in the late 1950’s when a Soviet geneticist prioritized the attempt of replicating domestication practices on silver foxes, which then, had not been domesticated yet.

Benefits

Some knowledge that can be shared about the beneficial traits are that the benefits can become more and more productive with each generation in inbreeding and, if not all, most popular household dog breeds are the outcome of hybridization. Mannerisms that have been employed since early stages of domestication tactics have also affected the maternal behavior. Cross-fostering means that domestic hens are more likely to accept chicks hatched from eggs of other species of poultry. If a wild turkey chick were to be raised by a domestic

hen, it would take on the domestic behavior exampled by the hen. Another way Selective Breeding is beneficial is to help the coral reefs and ocean life in them. Scientists have had a new approach to save coral reefs through hybridization by selectively breeding corals to create one that is more resistant to acidity and very warm temperatures.

Limitations
As purebred dogs are becoming inbred more, from a genetic standpoint, many conflicts are arising. The chances for being homozygous for a rare recessive disorder are increasing as inbreeding occurs, potentially causing severe health problems. There has been inbreeding pressure on animals due to human intervention. In some species continuing today, humans routinely kill inbred animals whose manner was difficult to control before they had a chance to reproduce so that the aggressive behavior would not be exampled toward the offspring. Hybridization has caused organisms that are dangerous to the population such as killer bees, also known as Africanized honeybees, which were bred to produce more money, but have killed people due to unforeseen increased aggressiveness. Selective Breeding can perpetuate harmful mutations, be very expensive, and can cause harm to the animals that are being bred such as a shorter lifespan. According to the New York Times, the evolution of the American bulldog was described as “the most extreme example of genetic manipulation in the dog-breeding world that results in hereditary problems.”

Opinion
I am mostly against inbreeding, and mostly with hybridization. My opinion may be affected personally because I have a hybrid dog and hybrid fish. From hybridization, we get different types of animals and organisms that can be considered healthier in some cases such as the coral that can resist common reef dilemmas. The disadvantages of hybridization is that some species could become extinct. For example, a Golden-winged Warbler mated with a Blue-winged Warbler and created a new hybrid. The hybrids started mating with only the Blue-winged Warblers and started out-competing the Golden-winged Warbler. Inbreeding to me seems unnatural even though most animals don’t know any better, but inbreeding caused by human intervention is what I am mostly against. Purebreds do have an increased ability to pass on traits to offspring, also known as “prepotency,” but they have birth defects, fewer offspring, higher offspring mortality, increase in genetic diseases, and reduced “genetic potential” which means their ability to improve a trait.
Conclusion
Therefore, Selective Breeding is beneficial in many ways from saving ocean life to creating hypoallergenic dogs for everyone.

The efficiency of dairies could increase by selectively breeding their herd. According to UC Davis researchers, reducing their carbon footprints and improving their health could be an outcome of considering foot warts and some other hoof ailments when designing their breeding plans. Selective Breeding is something people can learn, appreciate, discuss, and inspire with. If there was no Selective Breeding, the years and years of research, experiments, and money would go to waste along with a hub for the curious minds of everyone

alike.