Examples of Artificial Selection in plants?

Question

does anyone know any good sites where they give ex. of artificial selection in plants/animals...i need to know some examples..it can't be wild mustard or dog breeds...it needs to be something else.....it would be great if you could send me a link of the picture of a chart of the artificial breeds of that animal/plant and some information about it.

thanks

Answer 1

I would look at plant catalogues designed for gardeners

Answer 2

I don;t know of any websites as such, but I know you could use the humble Brassica species which has produced broccoli, cauliflower, brusselsprouts, Kale and another thing...they are ALL from the same original plant. This is a well known example and it wouldn't take much to put it in a search engine to come up with the goods.
You could also look at just about any fruit or vegetable!! THey have all undergone artificial selection eg Apple varieties,

Answer 3

Well, any domesticated plant crops are generally selected for a few minimal characteristics: non-shattering seed heads, larger fruit, exposed fruit...
Look at the wild ancestors of wheat, rice and corn for some goot comparisons.

Cattle varieties- leg length, hair length, colour, horns, milk, etc.
Look at highland cattle versus a Holstein.

Modern tobacco- selectively bred to produce more nicotene, rather than genetically engineered so as not to fall afoul of national laws. Also means that it IS harder to quit smoking now than in your grandparents' time.

Apple varieties are not good examples- there is too much genetic diversity in the species. Any particular variety is a clone of the original tree found to produce that type of apple. Although each variety IS selected because of particular traits.

Try horse varieties- there are quite a few produced for particular traits.

Then again, some plants have been selected for ornamentality. Japanese maples could be a good example, but it could be difficult to find images of them. Sakura- the flowering cherry tree- another Japanese example- of which imagery will be easy to find.

Oh! How could I forget potatoes! Native to the Andes, potatoes have been selected for thousands of years by the indegenous peoples to produce many, many varieties, each with very particular and useful traits. Some grow at particular altitudes, some can only be cooked in aparticular way- quickly boiling anything at a high altitude is difficult (but to have a specially bred potato which does exactly that is amazing), others were to be freeze-dried, they have varying textures and tastes, colours and shapes.
The potatoes taken to Europe and then N America are rather poor examples of the sheer diversity and usefulness of these roots. We have essentially two types- a dry, mealy one, and a waxy one. Gee, yay.
Another interesting point about them is that they are all infected with viruses which cause them to be spindly. these viruses infect each new generation and can be passed on to other types of potatoes if grown in the same area of ground the next year. Genetically... or rather through tissue culture, the viruses have been removed- producing round, softball-sized tubers... which, oddly enough, didn't sell well to consumers because they 'looked odd.' They're currently being called "chipping potatoes" and are used to make instant mashed potatoes and pringle-like chips.

Hope some of this helps. Good Luck!

Answer 4

As has been stated before anything domesticated (flowers, crops, horses, cattle, etc) has been artificially selected. Examples of natural selection would be any breeding that takes place without intervention by humans. I'm not really sure what you're looking for here.

Answer 5

Look at anything commercially grown. Wheat, corn, rice, tomatoes, ....you get the idea. They have all been bred for certain characteristics.

As for an animal, cows are a great example. Small pigs that people have as pets. Any animal that is specifically bred for sale or food will fit that category.

Answer 6

Cows are agreat example: there are different breed for different qualities of beef, as well as different kinds of milk cows, and cows bred to survive in difficult environments. You might do a search for breed cows.