Domestication affects the structure, development and stability of biobehavioural profiles

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary biology
• Animal behavior
• Domestication studies

Background:

• Domestication is an evolutionary process that significantly alters animal biobehavioral profiles.
• Key changes include social behavior, emotionality, cognition, and stress responses.
• The guinea pig serves as a model system for studying domestication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review differences in behavior, emotion, cognition, and stress responses between wild and domestic animals.
• To identify developmental phases where biobehavioral differences emerge.
• To investigate the existence of animal personalities in both wild and domestic forms.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of domestic and wild guinea pig populations.
• Examination of behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and hormonal stress response data.
• Assessment of biobehavioral profiles across different life stages (infantile, adolescent, adult).

Main Results:

• Domestic animals exhibit increased sociability, maternal behavior, and decreased aggression.
• Domesticated forms show higher anxiety-like behavior, reduced risk-taking, and lower stress responsiveness.
• Cognitive abilities do not appear diminished in domestic animals.
• Biobehavioral differences are evident early in life, suggesting genetic and perinatal influences.
• Play behavior increases with age in domestic guinea pigs.

Conclusions:

• Domestication leads to significant, early-emerging biobehavioral adaptations.
• Differences are attributed to artificial selection and environmental factors.
• Personalities may exist in both wild and domestic animals, with variations in behavioral consistency.