Laura Cook Professor Schaefer ANTH-1020 31 March 2014 Article Summary 2 Original Source Social Cognitive Evolution in Captive

Foxes is a Correlated By-Product of Experimental Domestication Domestication of foxes not only produces behavioral, morphological and physiological changes in foxes, but social cognitive modifications as well. This is demonstrated in the ability for an animal to recognize human gestures. Experiments have shown that dogs understand the gesture of humans pointing at an object, whereas wolves and even nonhuman primates dont understand what it means. Before this study, there was only speculation as to where this evolution change came from in dogs, since their split from the wolves. Previously, there had been a couple different hypotheses: the selection for communication hypothesis and the correlated by-product hypothesis. The first suggests that the behavior of understanding human communication was a direct target of selection during domestication. The second hypothesis suggests that the behavior didnt stem from a selection during domestication, but it was actually a correlated by-product of selection for tame behavior toward humans. To test this hypothesis, they used two groups of fox kits an experimental group and a controlled group. They conducted 4 different tests on the groups of foxes to understand the different behaviors associated with tame foxes and wild foxes when it comes to social cognition.

The first experiment tested domesticated foxes that had little experience with humans, by using a pointand-gaze cue to find hidden food. It showed that the foxes were just as capable at understanding the human gestures as dogs. The second experiment tested domesticated foxes and controlled foxes approach to humans and foreign objects. Although their likelihood of approaching strange objects didnt differ, the domesticated foxes approached the objects more quickly. The third experiment showed that domesticated foxes were more likely to play with a toy that a human gestured toward, then the control group of foxes; however, neither group was more or less likely to play with an object that had been recently manipulated. The forth test showed that the control group of foxes that had been exposed to humans for several weeks showed improvement in understanding gestures, but domesticated foxes that hadnt been socialized with humans still showed more understanding than the control group. Therefore, the findings of these studies do not support the selection for communication hypothesis, whereas they do support the correlated by-product hypothesis. [Hare, 228]. This experiment helps us to understand that domestication has led to an improved social cognitive ability in foxes, and supports the role of domestication in dogs from their ancestor, the wolves, which has led to their increased social cognitive skills and ability to understand human gestures. The results of this experiment give us more insight into exactly what type of changes lead to social cognitive ability. In addition to morphological, behavioral and physiological changes, domestication is proving to lead to more phenotypic traits that seemed unrelated prior to these studies of domestication. The evolution of by-product traits due to domestication has shown us that seemingly unrelated traits are connected.

Related Source Taming the Wild A few years ago, I watched a program on TV where they were conducting an experiment on domesticating wolves and foxes. It was interesting to watch the program, because I thought the wolf would be much more likely to develop the characteristics of a dog than a fox; however, the fox actually became much tamer and showed the characteristics of a dog. Furthermore, the study showed that not only were there changes in the foxes behavioral characteristics, but there were also changes in the physical characteristics as well. That TV program sparked my curiosity, so I decided to do a search on domesticated foxes for my article summary. I came upon a study thats gone on for 50+ years on the domestication of foxes, which was originally led by a biologist named Dmitry Belyaev. The goal of the study was to recreate the evolution of wolves into dogs, which is a transformation that began over 15,000 years ago. Belyaev and his team of researchers from the Institute of Cytology and Genetics gathered 130 foxes from nearby farms. Over several generations, Belyaev and his associates tested the fox kits. The foxes that were most approachable and behaved well with human contact were chosen to breed for future generations. To the researchers surprise, the foxes produced tame offspring much more quickly than expected. Not only were the foxes approachable by humans, but their behavior indicated that they actually wanted to bond with humans. In Ratliffs article, he shares a quote from Gordan Lark, a biologist from the University of Utah who studies genetics of dogs. Lark was quoted saying, "One huge thing that Belyaev showed was the timescale. If you told me the animal would now come sniff you at the front of the cage, I would say it's

what I expect. But that they would become that friendly toward humans that quicklywow." (Ratliff, NationalGeographic.com). Belyaevs ultimate goal wasnt to create friendly foxes. His main reason for conducting the experiment was to see if the physical attributes of the foxes changed, along with their tame behavior. Darwin had documented the variation of domesticated animals and plants, stating that the animals physical traits adapt to domestication domesticated animals tend to become smaller, have floppier ears, curlier tails and even spotted fur. The reason behind these physical changes is the animals look more child-like and friendly to humans, thus making it a mutual animal/human relationship. These characteristics are only seen in domesticated versions of the animal, and are not traits of their untamed family members. After just nine generations, the researchers found that Belyaevs assumption was right. The new generation of tamed foxes was born with floppier ears, and some even began to show spots on their fur. Belyaevs speculation was correct; not only were the foxes showing a dramatic change in behavior, but the appearance became more domesticated as well. Although Belyaev passed away, the study has continued and in the article, Ratliff interviews Lyudmila Trut, a researcher who began the study with Belyaev when she was an undergrad in college. She, along with other researchers, has continued to conduct the research on the domestication of these foxes along with other animals, their DNA structure, and what genotypes collectively tame the wild. Related Source Monday Pets: The Russian Fox Study Dmitri Belyaev was a Soviet scientist who studied genetics in the 1950s. He became the director of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in 1959 and remained in this position until 1985.

At that time, biologists didnt understand how dogs couldve evolved from wolves, when there were a variety of differences, such as the dissimilarities in their coats. Belyaev believed that the physical differences were a genetic factor that stemmed from behavior. So, he decided to test his theory by using foxes. He hypothesized that selecting for tameness and against aggression would result in hormonal and neurochemical changes, since behavior was ultimately rooted in biology. (Goldman, ScienceBlogs.com). He believed that through taming wild foxes, he would be able to understand the physical changes that occurred in domesticated animals, which he thought was a direct relation to behavioral genetics. So, Belyaev and his colleagues started their experiment by breeding foxes for tameness, by selecting the fox kits that werent afraid of humans, werent aggressive, and seemed more docile the fox kits were tested for friendliness throughout infancy, starting at a month old. The behavior was tested carefully, to ensure it was selected by genetics and not by time spent with a human. Once the foxes reached 7-8 months in age, they were given their final test and in turn a score on their tameness. This experiment has been done with over 40 generations of foxes, and only 20% have made it through the selection process each time. Over time, the tame foxes showed behavioral, morphological and physiological changes, which were all attributed to a tame behavioral genetic makeup.