Question

In: Biology

As Darwin was developing his Theory of Natural Selection, how did the breeding of animals, such...

As Darwin was developing his Theory of Natural Selection, how did the breeding of animals, such as dogs and pigeons (Darwin actually bred pigeons) help him create his theory?

Solutions

Expert Solution

Charles Darwin bred pigeons in his garden. They were not a hobby, but an experiment. By crossing birds with different characteristics, he could generate different offspring. Some had brown feathers, others white. Some had long legs, others very short beaks.
By artificially selecting in this way, he gathered valuable evidence for his theory of evolution by natural selection

The life that shared with dogs made considerations of nature generally inclusive of the speceies.

Darwin believed in the power of dogs to help shape human evolution, writing in The Descent of Man: “The strongest and most vigorous men—those who could best defend and hunt for their families, who were provided with the best weapons and possessed the most property, such as a large number of dogs or other animals—would succeed in rearing a greater average number of offspring than the weaker and poorer members of the same tribes.

According to Darwin

When dogs reproduce without such human intervention, their offspring's characteristics are determined by natural selection, while "dog breeding" refers specifically to the artificial selection of dogs, in which dogs are intentionally bred by their owners.


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