Chicken Domestication Origins

 

Recently Animal Behaviorists shed some light on a deeper understanding of Chicken Domestication. They noticed a change in the animals brain chemical composition specifically Serotonin which is a chemical used to dictate functions in people, manly depression. They believe that the increased size of birds,  the increased number of eggs they lay, and their comfort behavior around humans, is in-fact linked to the domestication that they went through.

The study brought in outside controversy from individuals who were not directly involved in the project. Greger Larson, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom stated that:

The new study offers “yet another piece of information” that selecting for changes in behavior can trigger a host of other changes in domesticated animals

 The study promotes that domestication over the years has shown that, physical genetic properties are not the only thing passed down from the parental to the F1 , F2 , etc  generations. Behavioral Geneticist and Animal Behaviorists have discovered that desired emotional characteristics are also genetically passed down from Parental to F1, F2 ,ect generations. As shown by the chicken becoming more fearless than their ancestors, and Tamer foxes being breed for their friendliness.

I find this to be very amazing and a little hard to believe. It was understood that genetic traits dictate appearance in organisms, but this article shows more understating that emotions can also be dictated by genetic traits.