Discussion
Domestication is a process where wild animals and plants are transformed in a genetic state to adjust to certain characteristics which benefit humans. In a simplest sense, it can be described as the early stage of human mastery of wild species of plants and animals.
The basic difference between domesticated plants and animals from their counterpart wild species is that they are produced by human activities to attain particular characteristics and are adjusted to the conditions of constant care from initial transition to full transition.
Certainly, wild animals must possess enough abilities to compete and survive in the wild and should often be on the watch for their predators. Wild animals should be fast and strong to safeguard themselves from their predators and must use their senses of touch, sight, and smell while searching for shelter, water, food, and to warn them from danger.
While domestic animals do not require all these abilities and senses to search for food and protect themselves from danger since all they need are provided by humans. Wild animals live liberally and are not reliant on human support, while domesticated animals are reliant on human interference. Most wild animals are either afraid or hostile to humans since they consider humans as dangerous killers.
The most significant outcome of domestication of animal species includes a rapid transformation in their seasonal biology. Most wild animals are distinguished by their precise seasonal reproduction and molting sequence, while most domesticated animals, in contrast, may reproduce themselves at any period or season of the year and may not molt at all.
The main deference between the domesticated species and the wild species of animals and plants is that wild plants and animals develop under control of natural factors and domesticated species evolve under control or influence of human factors or activities.
Certain behavioral characteristics may be changed through this process since human serves as the shield between the plants or animals and their environment. One example which is noticeable during the process is a decrease in responsiveness to changes in environments of wild species. Food availability and human’s regulation over the breeding system have decreased competition for essential resources and therefore allowed selection for the preservation of juvenile features.
The morphological variations between plants such as maize and its wild related species, teosinte, are somewhat intense since teosinte generates just 7 to 12 kernels in two with interspersed rows guarded by a firm layer. While the domesticated maize produces a cob which contains more than 20 rows with several uncovered kernels.
Actually, teosinte is extremely different from maize in the structure of its ear that most botanists were not successful to identify the close link between these species and another difference is their seasonal reproduction. The reproduction of the teosinte is strict and precise during the year, while maize reproduction is manipulated by humans and mostly depends on the rainy season.
Self-reproduction is another factor which makes these species to be deferent. The domesticated species only reproduce through human interference and the cultivated species mostly produce low seed shedding, produce more seeds, and rapid continuous germination. However, most wild plants has 50% to 60% harvest index, sum seed weight divided by sum plant weight, which is more than the domesticated plants. Unlike domesticated plants, wild plants rely on seed propagation to exist.