Artificial Selection in Plants and Animals?

The artificial selection in plants and animals is the process of changing the characteristics of animals by artificial measures. Some examples of this would be how animal breeders are often able to change the physical characteristics of domestic animals by selecting the reproduction of those species some of which include speed in racehorses, milk production in cows, and even the trail scenting in dogs. Even though that artificial selection has resulted in plants that are supposedly more disease-resistant, so that cows can produce more milk, and the ability for racehorses to run faster. I am strongly against artificial in plants and animals, there are many reasons that this could provide benefits for us, but knowing that this already occurring now who knows what will come next. This shouldn’t be performed under any circumstances, but there are positives to the case. It is used to improve plants and animals but by choosing traits caused by a single allele that produces a worker that performs it’s job worse than the worker made by another allele, so farmers and plant breeders through selecting the against the many traits we don’t like, such as the production of poisons, indigestible parts, and molecules that prevent a bad taste.

There are also many drawback’s to artificial selection, this includes how it is not possible to select for or against things that aren’t visible, which are like new allergens. Even though this tool of Artificial Selection had been practised by humans since the dawn of agriculture, but only recently have revolutionized this tool to understand nature. It is also a useful tool that has been use to generate the untold diversity in both plants and animals. With the power to control the way agriculture is generated and made into superior strains of corn, wheat and even soybeans by controlling and carefully breeding. Considering that I am strongly against any modifications to the natural growth of plants and animals, people today are only trying to carefully produce the perfect hybrid. There can be dramatic change because of artificial selection as it is still being used to alter a population, alter the number of eggs that are laid by hens, even the milk yield produced by cows.

In conclusion, one thing is for certain as artificial selection provides us with a model to better under stand natural selection and it’s process. Personally being strongly against any methods of Artificial I believe that there should be a stop to this, even though it provides us with observations and the opportunity to modify forms of beings we are indefinitely ensuring steps that will evade natural conditions acting on specific populations, causing natural change.

“It may be said that natural selection is daily and hourly scrutinizing. Throughout the world, every variation, even the slightest; rejecting that which is bad, preserving and adding up all that is good; silently and insensibly working, wherever and whenever opportunity offers, at the improvement of each organic being in relation to its organic and inorganic conditions of life.”

-          On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, 1859”

Lists of Works Cited:

“What is Artificial Selection?”. Wize Geek.> http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-artificial-selection.htm

“Artificial selection”. Black Well Publishing..> http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/ridley/a-z/Artificial_selection.asp

Posts I Commented On:

http://philipsbiologyblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/genetically-enhanced-agriculture-step.html?showComment=1310340065935#c2694465647698033069

http://jaelorenz.blogspot.com/2011/03/opt-for-sustainable-agriculture-or-go_20.html?showComment=1310489152412#c1108445165376696510