Copy-cat evolution: Divergence and convergence within and between cat and dog breeds

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary biology
• Comparative anatomy
• Domestication studies

Background:

• Domesticated species display significant phenotypic diversity.
• Natural selection can lead to both divergence and convergence in wild populations.
• The role of artificial selection in driving convergence within domestic species remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether artificial selection during domestication can lead to evolutionary convergence.
• To analyze skull morphology in domestic cats and dogs to identify patterns of convergence.

Main Methods:

• Utilized three-dimensional shape analysis techniques.
• Compared skull morphology across various breeds of domestic cats and dogs.
• Examined evolutionary relationships and morphological disparity within species and families.

Main Results:

• Domestic cats and dogs exhibit substantial phenotypic diversity, comparable to wild relatives.
• Significant skull shape convergence was observed between certain breeds of cats and dogs, species separated by 50 million years.
• This convergence resulted in breeds being more similar to each other than to their own ancestral species.

Conclusions:

• Artificial selection can drive extreme evolutionary convergence in domesticated species.
• The observed convergence between cats and dogs is a novel phenomenon in domestication.
• Convergence occurs at multiple levels, including between distinct species and within species over time.