przyroda: Domesticated silver fox

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

The domesticated silver fox (Vulpes vulpes forma amicus) is a form of the silver fox, a melanistic form of the wild red fox, that has been to some extent domesticated under laboratory conditions. Domesticated silver foxes are the result of an experiment designed to demonstrate the power of selective breeding to transform species, as described by Charles Darwin in On the Origin of Species. The experiment at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk, Russia, explored whether selection for behaviour rather than morphology may have been the process that had produced dogs from wolves, by recording the changes in foxes when in each generation only the most tame foxes were allowed to b…

Evidence: 61 • authority: 92

Gut microbiome community structure correlates with different behavioral phenotypes in the Belyaev Farm-Fox Experiment.. Domestication represents one of the largest biological shifts of life on Earth, and for many animal species, behavioral selection is thought to facilitate early stages of the process. The gut microbiome of animals can respond to environmental changes and have diverse and powerful effects on host behavior. As such, we hypothesize that selection for tame behavior during early domestication, may have indirectly selected on certain gut microbiota that contribute to the behavioral plasticity necessary to adapt to the new social environment. Here, we explore the gut microbiome o…

Evidence: 51 • authority: 72

Lyudmila Nikolayevna Trut (Russian: Людми́ла Никола́евна Трут, IPA: [lʲʊdˈmʲiɫə nʲɪkɐˈɫa(j)ɪvnə trut]; 6 November 1933 – 9 October 2024) was a Russian geneticist, ethologist, and evolutionist. She is known for developing domesticated silver foxes from wild foxes with Dmitry Belyayev at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk, Russia. The experiment, started in 1952, continues to this day covering nearly 60 generations of silver foxes selected for "tameness." She held the positions of Senior researcher for Evolutionary genetics, Institute of Cytology and Genetics SB AS USSR, from 1969 to 1985; Head of Laboratory for Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, USS…

Evidence: 46 • authority: 92

Jump-Starting Evolution.. Since How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog) appeared in 2017, molecular genetics research connected to the silver fox domestication experiment has been published in Nature and Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Lee Alan Dugatkin writes about his connection to the project, the role of neural crest cells in domesticating foxes, and how dogs, bonobos, and humans fit into the picture.. Authors: Dugatkin LA.. Journal: Cerebrum : the Dana forum on brain science. Year: 2020

Evidence: 46 • authority: 92

The expression profile of genes associated with behavior, stress, and adult neurogenesis along the hippocampal dorsoventral axis in tame and aggressive foxes.. The hippocampus plays the key role in stress response regulation, and stress response appears to be weakened in domesticated animals compared to their wild relatives. The hippocampus is functionally heterogeneous along its dorsoventral axis, with its ventral compartment being more closely involved in stress regulation. An earlier series of experiments was conducted with a unique breeding model of animal domestication, the farm silver fox (Vulpes vulpes), which included tame, aggressive, and unselected animals. A decrease in many indi…

Evidence: 42 • authority: 92

Fear, love, and the origins of canid domestication: An oxytocin hypothesis.. The process of dog domestication likely involved at least two functional stages. The initial stage occurred when subpopulations of wolves became synanthropes, benefiting from life nearby or in human environments. The second phase was characterized by the evolution of novel forms of interspecific cooperation and social relationships between humans and dogs. Here, we discuss possible roles of the oxytocin system across these functional stages of domestication. We hypothesize that in early domestication, oxytocin played important roles in attenuating fear and stress associated with human contact. In later domesticatio…

Evidence: 32 • authority: 72

Vulpes is a genus of the subfamily Caninae. The members of this genus are colloquially referred to as true foxes, meaning they form a proper clade. The word "fox" occurs in the common names of all species of the genus, but also appears in the common names of other canid species. True foxes are distinguished from members of the genus Canis, such as domesticated dogs, wolves, jackals and coyotes, by their smaller size (5–11 kg), longer, bushier tail, and flatter skull. They have black, triangular markings between their eyes and nose, and the tip of their tail is often a different color from the rest of their pelt. The typical lifespan for this genus is between two and four years, but can reac…

Evidence: 32 • authority: 72

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the true foxes, and the most widely distributed member of the order Carnivora. It is present across the entire Northern Hemisphere, including most of North America, Europe and Asia, as well as parts of North Africa. Its range has expanded alongside human settlement, with the species having been introduced to Australia, where it preys on native small and medium-sized rodents and marsupials. The red fox is listed as of least concern on the IUCN Red List. Because of its impact on native species, it is included on the list of the "world's 100 worst invasive species". The red fox originated in Eurasia during the Middle Pleistocene 400,000 years ago a…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener, the diminutive island fox (Urocyon littoralis) of the California Channel Islands, are the only living members of the genus Urocyon, which is considered to be genetically sister to all other living canids. Its species name cinereoargenteus means "ashen silver". It was once the most common fox in the eastern United States, and though still found there, human advancement and deforestation allowed the red fox to become the predominant fox-like canid. Despite this post-colonial competition, the gray fox h…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

Self-domestication is a scientific hypothesis that posits the occurrence of a process of artificial selection among human beings, akin to that observed in domesticated animals. This process has been executed by human beings themselves. During the process of hominization, a preference for individuals exhibiting collaborative and social behaviors would have emerged, thereby optimizing the benefits for the entire group. This process of artificial selection would have enhanced docility, language, and emotional intelligence. The hypothesis posits that this distinction is the primary factor that distinguishes Homo sapiens from Homo neanderthalensis and Homo erectus.

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The domestication of vertebrates is the mutual relationship between vertebrate animals, including birds and mammals, and the humans who influence their care and reproduction. Charles Darwin recognized a small number of traits that made domesticated species different from their wild ancestors. He was also the first to recognize the difference between conscious selective breeding (i.e. artificial selection) in which humans directly select for desirable traits, and unconscious selection where traits evolve as a by-product of natural selection or from selection of other traits. There is a genetic difference between domestic and wild populations. There is also a genetic difference between the do…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russian: Институт цитологии и генетики СО РАН) is a research institute based in Novosibirsk, Russia. It was founded in 1957.