Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 19, 2026
07:00
In Ovo Intravascular Injection in Chicken Embryos
Published on: June 3, 2022
Evolutionary pets: offspring numbers reveal speciation process in domesticated chickens
1Bruno-Dürigen Institute, Poultry Research Centre, Rommerskirchen, Germany. tiemanni@uni-duesseldorf.de
Plos One
|August 11, 2012
Summary
Domestic chickens exhibit breed-specific mate preferences, demonstrating ongoing sexual selection. This innate choice, combined with human breeding, can drive evolutionary speciation in domesticated animals.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Animal Behavior
- Genetics
Background:
- The interplay between evolution and domestication, particularly the role of sexual selection versus artificial selection, remains a subject of debate.
- Domestication has resulted in diverse breeds within species like the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus f.dom.).
- Artificial selection by humans may appear to override natural sexual selection mechanisms in domesticated animals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and impact of sexual selection in domestic chicken breeds.
- To determine if domestic chickens exhibit breed-specific mate preferences.
- To explore the potential for domestication and mate choice to contribute to evolutionary speciation.
Main Methods:
- Focused on the sexual behavior and mate choice of the White Crested Polish chicken breed.
- Conducted experiments with mixed-breeding groups of White Crested Polish and a comparative breed.
- Observed mating success, fertilization rates, and hatching rates of purebred and hybrid offspring.
Main Results:
- Mating occurred equally between breeds, but hatching rates revealed significant breed-specific preferences.
- Purebred offspring had a higher hatching rate (62.75%) compared to hybrid offspring (28.75%).
- These findings indicate that sexual selection mechanisms persist in domestic chickens.
Conclusions:
- Sexual selection remains an active mechanism in domestic chicken breeds, influencing gene frequencies.
- Innate mate choice by animals, coupled with human-driven selection, can facilitate evolutionary speciation.
- Domestication should be viewed as an evolutionary process integrating human interests with animal-driven sexual selection.
Related Concept Videos
02:16Genetics of Speciation
Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.
01:07Speciation Rates
Overview
02:55The Evidence for Evolution
Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.
01:31Formation of Species
Speciation describes the formation of one or more new species from one or sometimes multiple original species. The resulting species are discrete from the parent species, and barriers to reproduction will typically exist. There are two primary mechanisms, speciation with and without geographic isolation—allopatric and sympatric speciation, respectively.
00:49Complementation Tests
A complementation test is a simple cross to identify whether the two mutations are located on the same gene or different genes. It was first performed by Edward Lewis in the 1940s while working on fruit flies. He developed the test to identify the location and arrangement of different mutations on chromosomes.
Organisms heterozygous for different mutations are crossed pairwise in all combinations. If present on different genes, the mutations can complement each other by providing the missing...
Organisms heterozygous for different mutations are crossed pairwise in all combinations. If present on different genes, the mutations can complement each other by providing the missing...
02:37Gene Duplication and Divergence
The seminal work of Ohno in 1970 popularized the idea of gene duplication and divergence. DNA sequence comparison studies reveal that a large portion of the genes in bacteria, archaebacteria, and eukaryotes was generated by gene duplication and divergence, indicating its critical role in evolution.
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are characterized.
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are characterized.