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Lesch R, Fitch WT. The domestication of the larynx: The neural crest connection. J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol 2024; 342:342-349. [PMID: 38591232 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Wolves howl and dogs bark, both are able to produce variants of either vocalization, but we see a distinct difference in usage between wild and domesticate. Other domesticates also show distinct changes to their vocal output: domestic cats retain meows, a distinctly subadult trait in wildcats. Such differences in acoustic output are well-known, but the causal mechanisms remain little-studied. Potential links between domestication and vocal output are intriguing for multiple reasons, and offer a unique opportunity to explore a prominent hypothesis in domestication research: the neural crest/domestication syndrome hypothesis. This hypothesis suggests that in the early stages of domestication, selection for tame individuals decreased neural crest cell (NCCs) proliferation and migration, which led to a downregulation of the sympathetic arousal system, and hence reduced fear and reactive aggression. NCCs are a transitory stem cell population crucial during embryonic development that tie to diverse tissue types and organ systems. One of these neural-crest derived systems is the larynx, the main vocal source in mammals. We argue that this connection between NCCs and the larynx provides a powerful test of the predictions of the neural crest/domestication syndrome hypothesis, discriminating its predictions from those of other current hypotheses concerning domestication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaela Lesch
- Department of Biology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - W Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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2
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Tancredi D, Cardinali I. Being a Dog: A Review of the Domestication Process. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14050992. [PMID: 37239352 DOI: 10.3390/genes14050992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The process of canine domestication represents certainly one of the most interesting questions that evolutionary biology aims to address. A "multiphase" view of this process is now accepted, with a first phase during which different groups of wolves were attracted by the anthropogenic niche and a second phase characterized by the gradual establishment of mutual relationships between wolves and humans. Here, we provide a review of dog (Canis familiaris) domestication, highlighting the ecological differences between dogs and wolves, analyzing the molecular mechanisms which seem to have influenced the affiliative behaviors first observed in Belyaev's foxes, and describing the genetics of ancient European dogs. Then, we focus on three Mediterranean peninsulas (Balkan, Iberian and Italian), which together represent the main geographic area for studying canine domestication dynamics, as it has shaped the current genetic variability of dog populations, and where a well-defined European genetic structure was pinpointed through the analysis of uniparental genetic markers and their phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenico Tancredi
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Irene Cardinali
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy
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3
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Gleeson BT, Wilson LAB. Shared reproductive disruption, not neural crest or tameness, explains the domestication syndrome. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222464. [PMID: 36946116 PMCID: PMC10031412 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Altered neural crest cell (NCC) behaviour is an increasingly cited explanation for the domestication syndrome in animals. However, recent authors have questioned this explanation, while others cast doubt on whether domestication syndrome even exists. Here, we review published literature concerning this syndrome and the NCC hypothesis, together with recent critiques of both. We synthesize these contributions and propose a novel interpretation, arguing shared trait changes under ancient domestication resulted primarily from shared disruption of wild reproductive regimes. We detail four primary selective pathways for 'reproductive disruption' under domestication and contrast these succinct and demonstrable mechanisms with cryptic genetic associations posited by the NCC hypothesis. In support of our perspective, we illustrate numerous important ways in which NCCs contribute to vertebrate reproductive phenotypes, and argue it is not surprising that features derived from these cells would be coincidentally altered under major selective regime changes, as occur in domestication. We then illustrate several pertinent examples of Darwin's 'unconscious selection' in action, and compare applied selection and phenotypic responses in each case. Lastly, we explore the ramifications of reproductive disruption for wider evolutionary discourse, including links to wild 'self-domestication' and 'island effect', and discuss outstanding questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Thomas Gleeson
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
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4
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Geiger M, Sánchez‐Villagra MR, Sherratt E. Cranial shape variation in domestication: A pilot study on the case of rabbits. J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol 2022; 338:532-541. [PMID: 35934897 PMCID: PMC9804214 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Domestication leads to phenotypic characteristics that have been described to be similar across species. However, this "domestication syndrome" has been subject to debate, related to a lack of evidence for certain characteristics in many species. Here we review diverse literature and provide new data on cranial shape changes due to domestication in the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as a preliminary case study, thus contributing novel evidence to the debate. We quantified cranial shape of 30 wild and domestic rabbits using micro-computed tomography scans and three-dimensional geometric morphometrics. The goal was to test (1) if the domesticates exhibit shorter and broader snouts, smaller teeth, and smaller braincases than their wild counterparts; (2) to what extent allometric scaling is responsible for cranial shape variation; (3) if there is evidence for more variation in the neural crest-derived parts of the cranium compared with those derived of the mesoderm, in accordance with the "neural crest hypothesis." Our own data are consistent with older literature records, suggesting that although there is evidence for some cranial characteristics of the "domestication syndrome" in rabbits, facial length is not reduced. In accordance with the "neural crest hypothesis," we found more shape variation in neural crest versus mesoderm-derived parts of the cranium. Within the domestic group, allometric scaling relationships of the snout, the braincase, and the teeth shed new light on ubiquitous patterns among related taxa. This study-albeit preliminary due to the limited sample size-adds to the growing evidence concerning nonuniform patterns associated with domestication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine Geiger
- Paleontological Institute and MuseumUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland,Naturmuseum St.GallenSt.GallenSwitzerland,SWILD, Urban Ecology & Wildlife ResearchZurichSwitzerland
| | | | - Emma Sherratt
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideSAAustralia
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5
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Wilson LAB. Developmental instability in domesticated mammals. J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol 2022; 338:484-494. [PMID: 34813170 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Measures of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) have been adopted widely as an estimate of developmental instability. Arising from various sources of stress, developmental instability is associated with an organism's capacity to maintain fitness. The process of domestication has been framed as an environmental stress with human-specified parameters, suggesting that FA may manifest to a larger degree among domesticates compared to their wild relatives. This study used three-dimensional geometric morphometric landmark data to (a) quantify the amount of FA in the cranium of six domestic mammal species and their wild relatives and, (b) provide novel assessment of the commonalities and differences across domestic/wild pairs concerning the extent to which random variation arising from the developmental system assimilates into within-population variation. The majority of domestic mammals showed greater disparity for asymmetric shape, however, only two forms (Pig, Dog) showed significantly higher disparity as well as a higher degree of asymmetry compared to their wild counterparts (Wild Boar, Wolf). Contra to predictions, most domestic and wild forms did not show a statistically significant correspondence between symmetric shape variation and FA, however, a moderate correlation value was recorded for most pairs (r-partial least squares >0.5). Within pairs, domestic and wild forms showed similar correlation magnitudes for the relationship between the asymmetric and symmetric components. In domesticates, new variation may therefore retain a general, conserved pattern in the gross structuring of the cranium, whilst also being a source for response to selection on specific features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A B Wilson
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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6
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Beckman AK, Richey BMS, Rosenthal GG. Behavioral responses of wild animals to anthropogenic change: insights from domestication. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03205-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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7
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Lesch R, Kitchener AC, Hantke G, Kotrschal K, Fitch WT. Cranial volume and palate length of cats, Felis spp., under domestication, hybridization and in wild populations. R Soc Open Sci 2022; 9:210477. [PMID: 35116138 PMCID: PMC8790375 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Reduced brain size, compared with wild individuals, is argued to be a key characteristic of domesticated mammal species, and often cited as a key component of a putative 'domestication syndrome'. However, brain size comparisons are often based on old, inaccessible literature and in some cases drew comparisons between domestic animals and wild species that are no longer thought to represent the true progenitor species of the domestic species in question. Here we replicate studies on cranial volumes in domestic cats that were published in the 1960s and 1970s, comparing wildcats, domestic cats and their hybrids. Our data indicate that domestic cats indeed, have smaller cranial volumes (implying smaller brains) relative to both European wildcats (Felis silvestris) and the wild ancestors of domestic cats, the African wildcats (Felis lybica), verifying older results. We further found that hybrids of domestic cats and European wildcats have cranial volumes that cluster between those of the two parent species. Apart from replicating these studies, we also present new data on palate length in Felis cat skulls, showing that domestic cat palates are shorter than those of European wildcats but longer than those of African wildcats. Our data are relevant to current discussions of the causes and consequences of the 'domestication syndrome' in domesticated mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaela Lesch
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Animal Welfare Science, University for Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Georg Hantke
- Department Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kurt Kotrschal
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - W. Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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8
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Niego A, Benítez-Burraco A. Are feralization and domestication truly mirror processes? ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2021.1975314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amy Niego
- PhD Program, Faculty of Philology, University of Seville, C/Palos de la Frontera s/n, 41004 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Antonio Benítez-Burraco
- Department of Spanish, Linguistics, and Theory of Literature (Linguistics), Faculty of Philology, University of Seville, C/Palos de la Frontera s/n, 41004 Sevilla, Spain (E-mail: )
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9
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Wilkins AS, Wrangham R, Fitch WT. The neural crest/domestication syndrome hypothesis, explained: reply to Johnsson, Henriksen, and Wright. Genetics 2021; 219:iyab098. [PMID: 34849912 PMCID: PMC8633094 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Adam S Wilkins
- Institute of Theoretical Biology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Richard Wrangham
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - W Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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10
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Wilson LAB, Balcarcel A, Geiger M, Heck L, Sánchez‐Villagra MR. Modularity patterns in mammalian domestication: Assessing developmental hypotheses for diversification. Evol Lett 2021; 5:385-396. [PMID: 34367663 PMCID: PMC8327948 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The neural crest hypothesis posits that selection for tameness resulted in mild alterations to neural crest cells during embryonic development, which directly or indirectly caused the appearance of traits associated with the "domestication syndrome" (DS). Although representing an appealing unitary explanation for the generation of domestic phenotypes, support for this hypothesis from morphological data and for the validity of the DS remains a topic of debate. This study used the frameworks of morphological integration and modularity to assess patterns that concern the embryonic origin of the skull and issues around the neural crest hypothesis. Geometric morphometric landmarks were used to quantify cranial trait interactions between six pairs of wild and domestic mammals, comprising representatives that express between five and 17 of the traits included in the DS, and examples from each of the pathways by which animals entered into relationships with humans. We predicted the presence of neural crest vs mesoderm modular structure to the cranium, and that elements in the neural crest module would show lower magnitudes of integration and higher disparity in domestic forms compared to wild forms. Our findings support modular structuring based on tissue origin (neural crest, mesoderm) modules, along with low module integration magnitudes for neural crest cell derived cranial elements, suggesting differential capacity for evolutionary response among those elements. Covariation between the neural crest and mesoderm modules accounted for major components of shape variation for most domestic/wild pairs. Contra to our predictions, however, we find domesticates share similar integration magnitudes to their wild progenitors, indicating that higher disparity in domesticates is not associated with magnitude changes to integration among either neural crest or mesoderm derived elements. Differences in integration magnitude among neural crest and mesoderm elements across species suggest that developmental evolution preserves a framework that promotes flexibility under the selection regimes of domestication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A. B. Wilson
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyAustralia
- School of Archaeology and AnthropologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralia
| | - Ana Balcarcel
- Palaeontological Institute and MuseumUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Madeleine Geiger
- Palaeontological Institute and MuseumUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Laura Heck
- Palaeontological Institute and MuseumUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
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11
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Affiliation(s)
- Ardern Hulme-Beaman
- Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, 12–14 Abercromby Square, Liverpool, L69 7WZ, UK
| | - David Orton
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Thomas Cucchi
- Archaeozoology, Archaeobotany, Societies, Practices, Environments (AASPE-UMR7209), CNRS, National Museum of Natural History (MNHN), Paris, France
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12
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Abstract
Groupishness is a set of tendencies to respond to group members with prosociality and cooperation in ways that transcend apparent self-interest. Its evolution is puzzling because it gives the impression of breaking the ordinary rules of natural selection. Boehm's solution is that moral elements of groupishness originated and evolved as a result of group members becoming efficient executioners of antisocial individuals, and he noted that self-domestication would have proceeded from the same dynamic. Self-domestication is indicated first at ~300,000 years ago and has probably gathered pace ever since, suggesting selection for self-domestication and groupishness for at least 12,000 generations. Here I propose that a specifically human style of violence, targeted conspiratorial killing, contributed importantly to both self-domestication and to promoting groupishness. Targeted conspiratorial killing is unknown in chimpanzees or any other vertebrate, and is significant because it permits coalitions to kill antisocial individuals cheaply. The hypothesis that major elements of groupishness are due to targeted conspiratorial killing helps explain why they are much more elaborated in humans than in other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard W. Wrangham
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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13
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Lord KA, Larson G, Karlsson EK. Reply to Zeder and Trut et al.: An Attractive Hypothesis in Need of Evidence. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:651-652. [PMID: 32517961 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn A Lord
- Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Greger Larson
- The Palaeogenomics and Bio-Archaeology Research Network, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TG, UK
| | - Elinor K Karlsson
- Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
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