This chapter explores the concept of domestication and the changes that occur in plants as they transition from wild to cultivated. Domestication is a form of evolution driven by artificial selection rather than natural selection. Two theories of evolution are discussed—gradualism and punctuated equilibrium—in terms of timescales of change. The chapter concludes with a discussion of genetic evidence about rates of evolutionary change from corn. Questions focus on evolution and genetics.
Details
Type Book ChapterPub Date 1/1/2006Stock # PB199XT_4