Advantages & Disadvantages of Selective Breedings

Updated September 21, 2018

By Bert Markgraf
Selective breeding can develop desirable traits in plants and animals, but there can be negative
effects as well. Without selective breeding, many domestic animals would not exist and many
plants that we rely on for food would not be as productive as they are. On the negative side,
some exaggerated animal characteristics developed through selective breeding may prevent the
animal from leading a normal life, and plants propagated through selective breeding can be
susceptible to diseases. Overall, the implications of selective breeding are positive for humans
but an awareness of the disadvantages can help reduce some of the negative effects.

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Selective breeding can result in better quality products and higher yields in plants and animals
that have been bred for specific characteristics. Many domestic animals and plants are the result
of centuries of selective breeding. Disadvantages include a reduction in genetic diversity and
discomfort for animals that have very exaggerated characteristics.

How Selective Breeding Works

Selective breeding means choosing the plants or animals that have the most pronounced
desirable characteristics and breeding them. When the process is repeated with the descendants
of the selected parents and again over several generations, the desirable characteristics develop
more and more.

For example, today's dairy cows are the result of many years of selective breeding. The cows that
gave the most milk were bred, and when their calves started producing milk, the calves that gave
the most milk were bred as well. Over the years, always selecting for breeding the cows that
produced the most milk resulted in cows that produce much more milk than the average non-
bred cow.

The many breeds of dogs are an example of how selective breeding can develop certain traits. For
a large breed, larger than average males are bred with larger than average females. Over many
generations, a larger breed results. The same effect occurs when dogs with unusually long hair
are selectively bred and a long-haired breed results. Selective breeding can take a long time but is
very effective.

Typical Advantages of Selective Breeding

Selective breeding has been used for plants and animals that are sources of food, for making
animals suitable for specific types of work, for making plants produce certain substances and for
decorative effect. In each case there has to be an initial characteristic present in the plant or
animal that is then augmented through selective breeding.

In the case of food plants, selective breeding increases the yield and the quality of the harvest.
For example, selective breeding of corn increased the size of the kernels and the number of ears.
For non-food plants such as tobacco or cotton, selective breeding increased the yields and
introduced varieties. Decorative plants such as roses and tulips were bred for large flowers and
different colors. The benefits of selective breeding in plants include abundance of food, new
types of products and a wide variety of decorative house plants.

Selective breeding in animals has served different purposes. Food animals such as pigs and
turkeys are bigger, more tender and grow faster. Work animals such as horses and some breeds
of dogs were bred for specific tasks. In dogs bred for hunting, the kind of hunt determined what
characteristic was useful in a particular breed of dog. Other dogs and animals such as tropical fish
were bred for decorative or attractive characteristics. Some dogs are cute and some tropical fish
are beautiful due to selective breeding.

Problems With Selective Breeding

Selective breeding takes one characteristic and breeds the plants or animals based on that
selection. This means that other characteristics are lost and the resulting population is very
similar. With less genetic diversity, these plants and animals can all become sick together or all
fall victim to an environmental influence that affects their health. In a normal population, there
are always many individuals different enough that they don't catch the illness or are not
susceptible to the same environmental factors. A population developed through selective
breeding can therefore be completely wiped out.

Sometimes selective breeding is carried so far that, although the desired characteristics are
present, other weaknesses have developed as well. For several breeds of dogs, physical problems
such as weak spines, a shortened lifespan or other physical problems accompany the
development of a particular breed.

When selective breeding of a characteristic is very successful, the animals that were the subject
of the selective breeding may suffer. For example, turkeys that are too big and fat may not be
able to walk and cows may be bothered by huge udders. In some cases these negative effects can
be avoided by proper selection of the candidates for breeding but in other cases additional
measures to relieve animal discomfort may be necessary.

References