Take a look at these pictures. Isn't it amazing to know that all the different types of peppers, originally came from the capsicum annuum? Or that broccoli, cabbage and etc. all came from the same wild mustard plant? That my friends, is the magic of artificial selection. What exactly is it, you ask? Artificial selection is the process by which humans change the characteristics of animals/plants for artificial means. For example - Making cows that produce more milk, plants that are more disease-resistant, pigs that have more meat, and so on.
For the pictures above, we already see how artificial selection has affected plants. In our unit guide, we have also learned a few things about the artificial selection of dogs. Who knew that so many breeds of dogs were created by this process? I didn't. In one of the videos a woman proudly states that she created her perfect mutt and loves it dearly. She was able to choose the size, the shape, the colors, and probably so much more. This leads me to question: how far should humans be allowed to alter and select the traits of animals and plants? I'm aware of the fact that artificial selection brings us benefits. But what about the animals that are artificially enhanced that benefit us while they receive the "dull end of the stick"? Although one would argue that a cow having more milk, or a horse running even faster does no harm... does it really? I'm pretty sure that every time we alter something that is naturally made, there will always be side effects.
For example (although this has nothing to do with animals), when Heidi Montag (or anyone else for that matter) went through plastic surgery to perfect herself there were downfalls. She was in pain, she couldn't eat properly, and she received many bruises. Who's to say that consequences for perfection can't happen to animals either? In a few blogs I've read about the chicken being artificially enhanced to produce more meat but no feathers. No feathers on a chicken, make it prone to catching diseases quicker. Now, I'm not an animal activist or anything, but don't you think that's a bit unfair for the chicken? :( Poor thing, suffering from our gain. And remember, it may not only be chickens suffering from our greed!
I think this is where the fine line is, as to how far we should go. Personally, I think that artificial selection should only be done to the extent where both parties benefit. It should not continue if we're the only ones gaining from the process. Plus, if we continue to constantly inbreed these animals, certain genes that are passed down from natural selection will be lost forever - and there is no undo button. Just like our first bio blog, we should start being better stewards of the earth. And we can't do that, if we're constantly taking advantage of animals for personal gain. We should start accepting the naturality of things, afterall nature is beauty.
sources
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0118084/Gene/Genetic_variation/artificialselection.htm
http://www.biology-online.org/2/12_selective_breeding.htm
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/lines/IVAartselection.shtml
