semidomesticated

Semidomesticated describes species or populations that lie on the continuum between wild and fully domesticated. It denotes populations that have experienced some degree of human influence—such as selective breeding, provisioning, or management—yet retain substantial wild traits and the ability to survive without human care, continue to reproduce in natural settings, and often interbreed with wild conspecifics. The term is not a formal taxonomic category and its use varies among disciplines; some scholars reserve it for populations with clearly detectable domestic ancestry but incomplete domestication, while others use it to describe human-managed or human-associated populations that have not been fully domesticated.

Characteristics often cited include morphological changes that are less pronounced than in fully domesticated species, lingering wild behaviors and ecological niches, and partial dependence on humans for resources or reproduction. Gene flow with wild relatives and ongoing natural selection in the wild can maintain a mixed phenotype.

Context and examples: Semidomestication is discussed in studies of animal and crop populations at early stages of domestication or in landscapes where humans and wildlife interact closely. Reindeer herds in Arctic regions are sometimes described as semi-domesticated: domesticated herds coexisting with wild populations and subject to human management to some extent, yet animals also roam freely and rely on natural ecosystems. The term is also used informally to describe feral or edge populations of domesticated species that retain substantial wild traits.

See also: domestication, wild, feral, taming.