Our subject is Selective Breeding and Hybridization.


What is selective breeding and hybridization?
Because of the study of Mendel and Darwin, Selective Breeding has broken its way into Science textbooks as a logical study. The general basis of Selective breeding is fairly easy; Selective breeding all means the ability to alter the phenotype of offspring. A phenotype is obviously a genetic trait visible physically.
Selective breeding is such a phenomenon because it may be possible for people to alter genes for their own use such as high crop yields and even to the most complicated issues such as diseases in humans such as altimirs and heart disease.
Selective breeding is done by joining two dominate alleles for particular genes such as a quick metabolism in one species of animal or plant. Since dominant alleles have been joined it is most likely that some of the offspring will be the breed that was hoped for; these are known as hybrids though sometimes they are heterozygous meaning they possess both dominant and recessive alleles for one trait. Selective breeding is some times the referred to as artificial selection or selective breeding and poses no threat to the human race nor nature since manipulating the course of nature results in many positive things to happen.
Selective breeding may be methodical or unconscious. Methodical selection is oriented toward a predetermined standard, whereas unconscious selection is the result of biases in the preservation of valuable individuals. Methodical selection requires great care in discriminating among organisms and is capable of rapid change in specific traits, such as milk production or silk color. Unconscious selection, more common in ancient times, resulted in grains and seeds such as wheat, barley, oats, peas, and beans, and in animal traits such as speed and intelligence.

Who invented it?
While it is hard to trace back the original origin of selective breeding we think we have a fairly good of when this came to. Selective breeding began about 10,000 years ago, after the end of the last Ice Age. Hunter-gatherers began to keep flocks and herds and to cultivate cereals and other plants. This process of domestication was probably stimulated by a combination of human population pressure and environmental stress caused by a rapid change in climate. Global warming at the end of the Ice Age created drought in areas where rainfall had previously provided sufficient water, forcing people to congregate around reliable water sources. The increased population density favored the cultivation of plant and animal species for use during times when they were not naturally plentiful.
Selective breeding and hybridization was used by the nineteenth century British naturalist Charles Darwin as a springboard to introduce the theory of natural selection in which favorable heritable traits are passed down through generations and centuries of animals and plants.


What organisms/species if this used with?
Like natural selection, selective breeding requires genetic variation on which to act. If the variation in a trait is strictly environmentally induced, then the selected variants will not be inherited by the next generation. Selective breeding also requires controlled mating. Thus, animals that are social and easily manipulated, such as bovids , sheep, and dogs, were easier targets for selective breeding than territorial species, such as cats and other carnivores.




What are the benefits to hybridiation?

The benefits of hybridization are un-parralleled since they provide farmers and others the ability to produce produce that are more resistant to rotting quickly or insects. Resulting in much more food productivity in the world and even decrease money spent by farmers that averages about 12 billion dollars nationally that will simply be washed away or evaporate. Selective breeding also gives the possibility of taking likable traits for one species of animals and plant them in another resulting in a longer life and perhaps even some day we will be able to alter disease causing genetics in humans.

What are the risks?

Of-course there is no magic bullet and everything must be tested on a large scale which may result in a number of mutations and such. The biggest issue is that of people believing by altering genes we are playing ‘god.’ But we must question if this risk is worth its results.