Breeding back

Breeding back

Breeding back can be described as either a natural or a human attempt to assemble or re-assemble the genes of an extinct subspecies or of a domesticated breed, which may still be present in the larger gene pool of the overall species or other interbreedable species.

In Domestic animals breeding back has occurred with the Utonagan and the Northern Inuit dogs in an attempt to recreate the 'wolf-look' without actually cross breeding with wolves. Other selectively bred examples of breeding back include that of the aurochs, the extinct forerunner of domestic cattle. The product of these attempts is called the Heck cattle. Another prominent breeding back effort is the Quagga Project to bring back the extinct subspecies of the Plains Zebra called Quagga. The Heck horse, a phenotypic copy of the tarpan has also been produced, although it lacks the upright manes.

Breeding back is controversial, especially claims that an extinct animal has been recreated. Phenotypical reconstruction (similar appearance) does not assure behavioral similarity. For some of the species that are being bred back, questions remain about the ecological niche, hardiness, and disease resistance of the original species. For instance, the aurochs died out almost 400 years ago and the records kept cannot definitively answer some of these questions.

Back Breeding in the Wild

Back breeding is also sometimes alleged to occur in feral animal populations. It is not certain if "primitive" feral breeds (such as of sheep or pigs) are so only because their ancestor were of primitive domestic breeds or if they have had a kind of natural back breeding. It is widely accepted that pigs will readily "go feral" and in the case of the introduced Razorbacks to the USA, pigs seem to revert to a 'wild boar' like state in not only appearance but also behavior and hardiness.

ee also

* Preservation breeding

References

* Koene, P., & Gremmen, B. (2001). Genetics of dedomestication in large herbivores. In 35th ISAE Conference, Davis, California, 2001 (pp. 68-68).

External links

* [http://extinctanimals.petermaas.nl The Extinction Website]
* [http://www.quaggaproject.org The Quagga Project]
* [http://www.the-tree.org.uk/EnchantedForest/verasum.htm Grazing Ecology and Forest History]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Breeding — is the producing of offspring, usually animals or plants* Animal breeding, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and rabbits * Plant breeding, through selected specimens such as treesBreeding may also refer to:in science: * Biobreeding …   Wikipedia

  • Back River (Virginia) — The Back River is an estuarine inlet of the Chesapeake Bay between the independent cities of Hampton and Poquoson in the Hampton Roads area of southeastern Virginia. Formed by the confluence of the Northwest and Southwest Branches, and at just… …   Wikipedia

  • Selective breeding — This article focuses on selective breeding in domesticated animals. For alternate uses, see artificial selection. Selective breeding in domesticated animals is the process of a breeder developing a cultivated breed over time, and selecting… …   Wikipedia

  • cross-back — noun Etymology: from cross back, v. 1. : the act or action of breeding back a crossbred individual to one of the parent breeds 2. : the offspring of such breeding …   Useful english dictionary

  • Preservation breeding — is an attempt by many animal breeders to preserve bloodlines of animals, either of a rare breed, or of rare pedigrees within a breed. One purpose of preservation breeding is to protect genetic diversity within a species, another is to preserve… …   Wikipedia

  • Horse breeding — Mares and foals Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired… …   Wikipedia

  • plant breeding — Introduction       application of genetic (genetics) principles to produce plants that are more useful to humans. This is accomplished by selecting plants found to be economically or aesthetically desirable, first by controlling the mating of… …   Universalium

  • Selection methods in plant breeding based on mode of reproduction — This article discusses Selection methods in plant breeding based on mode of reproduction. Some plants reproduce by (more or less strict) self fertilization where pollen from a plant will fertilise reproductive cells or ovules of the same plant.… …   Wikipedia

  • Plant breeding — is the art and science of changing the genetics of plants in order to produce desired characteristics.[1] Plant breeding can be accomplished through many different techniques ranging from simply selecting plants with desirable characteristics for …   Wikipedia

  • animal breeding — Introduction  controlled propagation of domestic animals in order to improve desirable qualities. Humanity has been modifying domesticated animals to better suit human needs for centuries. Selective breeding involves using knowledge from several… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”