Domestication Of B. Taurus Essay

Evolution is the change in heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It is the process that gives rise to variation in existing populations, drives speciation, and what leads to the extinction of new species. It is the natural change that occurs in response to environmental pressures resulting in phenotypical changes. Another way for phenotypical changes to occur in a species is by human intervention. Domestication is a form of human intervention. The domestication of B.taurus began approximately 10,000 years ago. Prior to this domestication event, cattle as we know it did not exist. The wild Aurochsen, Bos primigenius, was the ancestor to B.taurus. Wild Aurochsen are now extinct with the last recorded …show more content…
The founding population of domesticated cattle would have had traits that made them compatible with captivity and domestication, with inbreeding within such a small groups caused by the bottleneck, the traits that allowed for captivity and domestication increased in frequency as the population inbreed and several generations past. Domestication of B.taurus had consequences for the species, because humans provided for their basic needs (food, shelter and protection). These consequences were both beneficial and taxing of the species, while sometimes neutral in effect. Protection from predators which humans provided meant that less energy was spent on protection themselves, increasing the cattle’s productivity in other areas such as milk production. Protection also ensured that the cattle lived longer lives allowing the ability to pass on genes more efficiently as there was more time for reproduction, which also led to a larger population. A larger population meant that there was eventually a larger gene pool and less inbreeding. This meant there was more variation in genes, reducing the risks of disease and