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Wolves, Dogs & People. How Wolves & People Domesticated Each Other, & How Dogs Helped Enable Civilization Steve Hall Adirondack Wildlife Refuge & Rehab Center www.AdirondackWildlife.org 977 Springfield Rd., Wilmington, NY. Wolves, Dogs & People People in Pre-History People & Wolves - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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How Wolves & People Domesticated Each Other,& How Dogs Helped Enable Civilization
Steve HallAdirondack Wildlife Refuge & Rehab Center
www.AdirondackWildlife.org977 Springfield Rd., Wilmington, NY
Wolves, Dogs & People
Adirondack Wildlife Refuge & Rehab Centerwww.AdirondackWildlife.org
Wolves, Dogs & PeoplePeople in Pre-HistoryPeople & WolvesWolves & DogsDogs & PeopleGeneticsDogs & Civilization
Terry Hawthorne
Setting the Pleistocene Stage2.5 million to 11,400 years agoGlaciers advanced and retreated eleven timesOcean levels dropped and rose in responseGlacial Maximum 20,000 years agoInterglacial Ocean rises restricted intercontinental movement, while enabling intracontinental movement
Neanderthals, large mammals and their predators spread across the north
Glacial Ocean drop enabled intercontinental movement, while restricting intracontinental movement
Neanderthals and wildlife were driven out of the north, placing them in the path of expanding homo sapiens.
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Genus Homo - Humans Out of AfricaHomo Habilis in Africa
2.3 to 1.4 million years ago
Homo Erectus: Africa, Asia & Europe
2.2 million to 140,000 years agoCommon ancestor with Habilis?
Homo Neanderthalensis
150,000 to 30,00 years ago in Europe & Mid East
Homo SapiensAfrican genesis 200,000 years agoSmall group of Wanderers became Humanity’s Adams & Eves, leaving Africa 60-100,000 y.a.
www.AdirondackWildlife.org1. Homo Sapiens, 2. Neanderthal, 3. Early Hominids, Wiki
How Genus Homo Changed HistoryMastered Fire
WarmthCooking, about 250,000 yrs agoSecurity from dangerous Predators
Short-faced BearSaber Toothed CatDire Wolf
Larger social groups made pre-Homo frugivore diet unsustainableLearned to scavenge MeatHunting game Incredibly DangerousMade Crude Tools and Weapons
Erectus shows evidence of the “Throwing” Shoulder
Neanderthals Converse & create totems?Homo Sapiens Developed Language & Animistic Religion – Oral Tradition?Pre Historic Cultures are extremely war-like www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Dire Wolf
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Mark Hallett, PaleoartPleistocene wolfMost common mammalian find in LaBrea Tar PitsLarger than Grey WolfDriven to extinction about 10,000 years ago
Competing & Living with Wolves
Competed for meat with Wolves & other predatorsLearned to steal Meat from WolvesInadvertently Provided Meat for Wolves and other Scavengers at the Bone PileTook in occasional orphaned wolf pupWolves became early warning system for dangerous predators or intrudersProvided Meat for Wolves at the CampfireAccidental tactical cooperation during hunting, with each exploiting the other species strengths & tacticsUnnatural, forced selection led to dogsGeographical, Topographical & Glacial Isolation drove diversity in humans & their “dogs”
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Wolves and DogsWolf Packs are Families
Wolves are territorialWolf packs are hierarchical
Dogs are like Wolves.Emotionally TransparentLiving in the MomentDreams & ActionsCats and Dogs
Wolves are like People.Mom & Dad are the “Breeding Pair”
Dogs are like Us.www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Dogs & People
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Dmitri Belyaev 1959 experiment with selecting & breeding tame silver foxes
Less adrenaline in Tamer foxesShorter limbs & tailsFloppy ears & curly tails
Left gaze bias in both Humans & DogsSympathetic bias towards infant facesNeotonous selection for breedingOxytocin release in dogs & ownersHeart attack survival & occurrenceWolfs bark or “woof” as a warning
Dogs developed barking to communicate with us
500 million dogs in the world, about 500k wolves
Silver Fox, Wiki
Dogs & People
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Natural Selection: Survivors BreedUnnatural selection, or “Eugenics”: Selected Traits Predominate & Become Exaggerated
Decline of nature’s fitness restrictions allows alternate phenotypes, or “funny” looking dogs, to survive and breed
Dogs were selected for cooperation, for responding to our social queuesDog’s olfactory orientation married to our visual orientationTandem Repeaters more prevalent in Canids
Physical Traits may be controlled by fewer genes, making selective breed alteration easier to achieve……..While messing up pure breeds: 1 in 4 have genetic issues with recessive genes expressed.Independence from seasonal weather affects estrus frequency 80% of 300-400 breeds developed in last 130 years
DNA (Template) → RNA (Codon; sequence of 3 nucleotides) → Amino acid(s) → Polypeptide
(Protein)
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Genetics
The Speed of Evolution via Natural or Unnatural Selection Increases as the Rate of Mutations Increase Between Each Breeding
With Regards to Canines, a high rate of mutations occurs due to:
Tandem RepeatersRepeatable DNA sequences with a relatively high rate of mutations
Canids have a much higher rate of tandem repeaters than other carnivores, and most other mammals
SINE ElementsElements that leave one chromosomal location and insert themselves into another
Canids have at least 11,000 SINE elements, humans have less than 1,000
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How to cause a mutation 101:1. Change in DNA Sequence2. Change in mRNA Codon3. Change in Amino Acid Produced4. Change in Protein Structure (Mutant Protein)
*The mutant protein may cause:1. No change2. Different physical trait3. Improved function -
Evolutionary advantage4. Reduced function -
Evolutionary disadvantage
5. Uncontrolled cellular division - Cancer
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Dogs & Civilization
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Hunting, security, load pulling, pest control, scavenging, food
Stages of Civilization
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Years ago People Wolves & Dogs
135,000 Nomadic groups - Cro Magnon Hunter- Gatherer
Wolf 1st domesticated animal, Hunting, security, pest control & scavenging
45,000 – 14,000
Earliest settlements Wolf-dogs Hunting, security, load pulling, pest control, scavenging, food
13,000 Hunter- Gatherer Oldest “dog” bones that were not a wolf
9,000 Plant Domestication – Fig, Wheat Hunting, security, load pulling, pest control, scavenging, food
8,500 Animal Domestication – sheep, cat, goats Shepherding, hunting, security, pest control, scavenging, food
6,000 Agriculture provides surplus food & work, leading to trade, as well as….
Shepherding, hunting, security, pest control, scavenging, food
5,000 Towns & Cities, rise of Middle & Leisure classes
Shepherding, hunting, security, pest control, scavenging, Working Dogs, food
150 Modern Age Working Dogs & Pets , Breeding explosion, food
Plant Domestication Table
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
http://archaeology.about.com/od/domestications/a/plant_domestic.htm
Animal Domestication Table
www.AdirondackWildlife.orghttp://archaeology.about.com/od/dterms/a/domestication.htm
References & Interesting Information
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Cree & Zeebie with Alex
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Say Goodnight Boys!
Thank You!Adirondack Wildlife Refuge & Rehab Center
www.AdirondackWildlife.org977 Springfield Rd., Wilmington, NY 12997
1-855-Wolf-Man
