domestication | Definition, Of Plants, Of Animals, & Facts

domestication, the process of hereditary reorganization of wild animals and plants into domestic and cultivated forms according to the interests of people. domestication Sections&Media Article IntroductionOriginsofdomesticationDomesticationofanimalsBiologicalandgeneticchanges FastFacts 2-MinSummary RelatedContent Media Images AdditionalInfo MoreArticlesOnThisTopic Contributors ArticleHistory Home Technology Agriculture&AgriculturalTechnology domestication biologyandsociety Print print Print Pleaseselectwhichsectionsyouwouldliketoprint: TableOfContents Cite verifiedCite Whileeveryefforthasbeenmadetofollowcitationstylerules,theremaybesomediscrepancies. Pleaserefertotheappropriatestylemanualorothersourcesifyouhaveanyquestions. 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ExternalWebsites NationalGeographicSociety-Education-Domestication TheOrientalInstituteofTheUniversityofChicago-TeachingtheMiddleEast:AResourceforEducators-DomesticationofPlantsandAnimalsinGlobalPerspective By TheEditorsofEncyclopaediaBritannica | ViewEditHistory FastFacts 2-MinSummary yak Seeallmedia RelatedTopics: originsofagriculture genecentre breeding diseasecontrol pestcontrol ...(Showmore) Seeallrelatedcontent→ domestication,theprocessofhereditaryreorganizationofwildanimalsandplantsintodomesticandcultivatedformsaccordingtotheinterestsofpeople.Initsstrictestsense,itreferstotheinitialstageofhumanmasteryofwildanimalsandplants.Thefundamentaldistinctionofdomesticatedanimalsandplantsfromtheirwildancestorsisthattheyarecreatedbyhumanlabourtomeetspecificrequirementsorwhimsandareadaptedtotheconditionsofcontinuouscareandsolicitudepeoplemaintainforthem.Seealsoplantbreedingandanimalbreeding.Domesticationhasplayedanenormouspartinthedevelopmentofhumankindandmaterialculture.Ithasresultedintheappearanceofagricultureasaspecialformofanimalandplantproduction.Itispreciselythoseanimalsandplantsthatbecameobjectsofagriculturalactivitythathaveundergonethegreatestchangeswhencomparedwiththeirwildancestors.OriginsofdomesticationThefirstattemptsatdomesticationofanimalsandplantsapparentlyweremadeintheOldWorldduringtheMesolithicPeriod.DogswerefirstdomesticatedinCentralAsiabyatleast15,000yearsagobypeoplewhoengagedinhuntingandgatheringwildedibleplants.Thefirstsuccessfuldomesticationofplants,aswellasgoats,cattle,andotheranimals—whichheraldedtheonsetoftheNeolithicPeriod—occurredsometimebefore9500bce.ItwasnotuntiltheNeolithicPeriod,however,thatprimitiveagricultureappearedasaformofsocialactivity,anddomesticationwaswellunderway.(TheNeolithicPeriodoccurredatdifferenttimesaroundtheworldbutisgenerallythoughttohavebegunsometimebetween10,000and8,000bce.)AlthoughthegreatmajorityofdomesticatedanimalsandplantsthatstillservehumanswereselectedanddevelopedduringtheNeolithicPeriod,afewnotableexamplesappearedlater.Therabbit,forexample,wasnotdomesticateduntiltheMiddleAges;thesugarbeetcameundercultivationasasugar-yieldingagriculturalplantonlyinthe19thcentury;andmintbecameanobjectofagriculturalproductionasrecentlyasthe20thcentury.Alsointhe20thcentury,anewbranchofanimalbreedingwasdevelopedtoobtainhigh-qualityfur.NeolithicrockpaintingsPrehistoricrockpaintingsofpeopleandanimals,Tassilin'AjjermountainrangeintheSaharadesert,Algeria,NorthAfrica.©DmitryPichugin/stock.adobe.comDomesticationofvegetativelyreproducingplants,suchasthosewithtubers,probablyprecededdomesticationoftheseedplants—cereals,legumes,andothervegetables.Someplantsweredomesticatedforthestrongfibresintheirstalks,whichwereusedforsuchpurposesasmakingfishingnets.Hemp,oneofthemostancientplantsdomesticatedinIndia,isanexampleofamultipurposeplant:oilisobtainedfromitsseeds,fibresfromitsstalk,andthenarcotichashishfromitsflowersandleaves.hempfibreproductsHempsackcloth,bags,andrope.©ThitiwatDutsadeewirot/Dreamstime.comSomeplantsweredomesticatedespeciallyfortheproductionofnarcotics;suchaplantistobacco,whichwasprobablyfirstusedbyAmericanIndiantribesforthepreparationofanarcoticdrinkandonlylaterforsmoking.Theopiumpoppyisanotherexampleofaplantdomesticatedsolelyforanarcotic.Beverageplantsofmanykindswerediscoveredandcultivated,includingtea,coffee,andcola.Onlywhenhumansreachedasufficientlyhighlevelofculturedidtheybegintodomesticatetofulfillaestheticrequirementsforthebeautifulandthebizarreinbothplantsandanimals.tobaccoTobacco(Nicotianatabacum).©LianeM/Shutterstock.comDomesticationofanimalsThespecificeconomicapplicationofdomesticatedanimalsdidnotappearatonce.Dogsprobablyaccompaniedhuntersandhelpedthemhuntwildanimals;theyprobablyalsoguardedhumansettlementsandwarnedtheinhabitantsofpossibledanger.Atthesametime,theywereeatenbyhumans,whichwasprobablytheirmainimportanceduringthefirststagesofdomestication.Sheepandgoatswerealsoeatenintheinitialstagesofdomesticationbutlaterbecamevaluableforproducingthecommoditiesofmilkandwool.domesticgoatDomesticgoat(Caprahircus).EncyclopædiaBritannica,Inc.Theprincipalaimofcattlebreedinginancienttimeswastoobtainmeatandskinandtoproduceworkanimals,whichgreatlycontributedtothedevelopmentofagriculture.Cattle,attheinitialstagesofdomestication,producedasmallamountofmilk,sufficientonlytoreartheircalves.Thedevelopmentofhighmilkyieldincowswiththeirbreedingespeciallyformilkproductionisalatereventinthehistoryofdomestication.Thefirstdomesticatedhorseswerealsousedformeatandskin.Laterthehorseplayedanenormousroleinthewagingofwar.PeoplesinhabitingtheMiddleEastinthe2ndmillenniumbceusedhorsesinchariotbattles.Withtimethehorsebegantobeusedastransportation.Inthe1stmillenniumbcecartsappeared,andthehorseswereharnessedtothem;otherridingequipment,includingthesaddleandthebit,seemstohaveappearedinlatercenturies.Mongolia:shepherdwithflockShepherdwithhisflock,Mongolia.©DmitryChulov/Dreamstime.comThedonkeyandthecamelwereusedonlyforloadtransportandasmeansofconveyance;theirunpalatabilityruledouttheiruseasapreferredfood.Thefirstdomesticatedhensperhapswereusedforsport.Cockfightingwasinstrumentalinbringingabouttheselectionofthesebirdsforlargersize.Cockslateracquiredreligioussignificance.InZoroastrianismthecockwasassociatedwithprotectionofgoodagainstevilandwasasymboloflight.InancientGreeceitwasalsoanobjectofsacrificetogods.Itisprobablethateggproductionofthefirstdomesticatedhenswasnomorethanfivetoteneggsayear;higheggyieldandimprovedmeatqualitiesofhensdevelopedatlaterstagesofdomestication.chickensChickenseatingwatermeloninabarnyard.©Argument—iStock/GettyImagesPlusEarlydomesticationofthecatwasprobablytheresultofthepleasureexperiencedfromkeepingthisanimal.Thecat’sabilitytocatchmiceandratswassurelyanotherreasonthatimpelledpeopletokeepcatsathome.InancientEgyptthecatwasconsideredasacredanimal.EgyptianbronzesculptureMothercatwithkittens,solidcastbronzeandwoodsculpturefromEgypt,c.7th–1stcenturybceorlater;intheBrooklynMuseum,NewYork.PhotographbyKatieChao.BrooklynMuseum,NewYork,CharlesEdwinWilbourFund,37.406ESomeanimalsweredomesticatedforutilitarianpurposesfromtheverybeginning.Herebelongs,firstofall,therabbit,whoserealdomesticationwascarriedoutfromthe6thtothe10thcenturycebyFrenchmonks.Themonksconsiderednewbornrabbits“fish”andatethemduringLentwhenthechurchcalendarindicatedabstinencefrommeat.Forthesakeofhoney,thebeewasdomesticatedattheendoftheNeolithicPeriod.Honeyhasplayedanenormousroleinhumannutritionsinceancienttimes;itceasedbeingthesolesweeteningagentonlyabout200yearsago.Beesalsoprovidedwaxandbeevenom,whichwasusedasmedicine.Beeswereusedalso,toalimitedextent,inwarfare,hivesbeingthrownamongenemytroopstoroutthem.honeycombBeeonahoneycomb.©ComstockImages/JupiterimagesToobtainsilk,thesilkwormwasdomesticatedinChinanolaterthan3000bce,andby1000bcethetechnologyofsilkwormbreedingandraisinghadbeenthoroughlydocumented.Shepherdyandnomadicanimalbreeding,whichdeterminedthesocialandeconomicorganizationandthewayoflifeofsomepeoplestoagreatextent,appearedatlaterstagesofhumandevelopment,aftertheaccumulationofalargenumberofdomesticanimals.RudimentsofnomadicanimalbreedinginEurasiaappearednoearlierthan1000bce,considerablyafterthedomesticationofanimalstookplace.TheprocessofdomesticationintheNewWorldtookplacesomewhatlaterthanintheOldWorldandindependentlyofthelatter,sincehumansfirstappearedintheNewWorldonlyduringtheendofthePleistoceneEpoch(whichlastedfrom2.58millionto11,700yearsago),longaftersettlementoftheOldWorld. 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