Domestiserte

Domestiserte (domesticated) is a term used to describe species or populations that have undergone domestication, a genetic and phenotypic transformation driven by long-term human association. Through artificial selection and management, these organisms have become increasingly dependent on humans for reproduction and survival, and show traits favored in human use.

Domestication differs from taming. Domestication is a population-level process that produces heritable changes across generations; taming is an individual animal becoming less fearful of humans without global genetic changes. The end result is a domesticated lineage with typically altered morphology, behavior, and physiology—the so-called domestication syndrome.

Most domestication events began in the Holocene era, with plants and animals being bred for food, labor, or companionship. Early centers include the Fertile Crescent for crops like wheat and barley and for domestic animals; later, other regions domesticated crops such as rice, maize, potatoes, and various animals such as dogs, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and chickens. The process often involved selecting individuals with traits useful to humans and breeding them across generations.

Today, domestiserte species are integral to agriculture, industry, and households. Research on domestication informs fields from evolutionary biology to archaeology, genetics, and animal welfare. Domestication remains an ongoing area, with new species showing domestic traits in managed populations, and with ongoing debates about the relative roles of human selection versus natural factors.