Hat the Domestication of Dogs Influenced a Shuffle in their Genetic Make-up

Has the domestication of dogs influenced a shuffle in their genetic make-up?

RESEARCH QUESTION;

Has the domestication of dogs influenced a shuffle in their genetic make-up?

WHAT IS A GENE; the definition of a gene is “a distinct sequence of nucleotides forming part of a chromosome, the order of which determines the order of monomers in a polypeptide or nucleic acid molecule which a cell (or virus) may synthesize” (Oxford online dictionary, 2014). This can be understood to be a component of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) which determines hereditary characteristics and or traits in an organism.

http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/genetics-aging-our-genes/how-can-we-find-aging-genes-humans

The common household dog is not naturally occurring in nature but rather an evolutionary product of wolves, dog’s closest living relatives, which were domesticated. As wolves were domesticated to become work and household animals they developed and changed drastically to suit this roll and evolved on a genetic level which resulted in a change in the genotypes and as well as the phenotypes which has given rise to the common domestic dogs that we know today.

BREEDING OF DOGS;

Different breeds of dogs have different genotypes and phenotypes which in turn give rise to different characteristics and behavioral patterns, for example Labrador retrievers are social, Dalmatians are hyper, and Australian shepherds are smart (Scott & Fuller, 1974). All of these factors are determined by the genetics of the dog, which comes about from the genes. Genes are passes down from parent to offspring but not all genes are passed down, only the strongest dominant genes are passed down and are clearly evident. The recessive genes of the parents are ...

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...ies.com/definition/english/phenotype?q=phenotype [accessed 15 March2014]

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http://www.research.psu.edu/arp/research-reviews/ultra-deep-sequencing-of-mouse-mitochondrial-dna-mutational-patterns-and-their-origins/image/image_view_fullscreen [accessed 15 March 2014]

1979 Oxford University Press Belyaev, D. K. Destabilizing selection as a factor in domestication. Journal of Heredity 70, 301–308 (1979).

Adams, J. (2008) Genetics of Dog Breeding. Nature Education 1(1):144

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Genetics of Dog Breeding

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