"A genetic revolution has transformed the study of the domestication of plants and animals. Documenting Domestication presents the best research and resolves issues that had been intractable in the past."—Richard I. Ford, University of Michigan

Encyclopedia of Agriculture and Food Systems, Second Edition, Five Volume Set addresses important issues by examining topics of global agriculture and food systems that are key to understanding the challenges we face. Questions it addresses include: Will we be able to produce enough food to meet the increasing dietary needs and wants of the additional two billion people expected to inhabit our planet by 2050? Will we be able to meet the need for so much more food while simultaneously reducing adverse environmental effects of today’s agriculture practices? Will we be able to produce the additional food using less land and water than we use now? These are among the most important challenges that face our planet in the coming decades. The broad themes of food systems and people, agriculture and the environment, the science of agriculture, agricultural products, and agricultural production systems are covered in more than 200 separate chapters of this work. The book provides information that serves as the foundation for discussion of the food and environment challenges of the world. An international group of highly respected authors addresses these issues from a global perspective and provides the background, references, and linkages for further exploration of each of topics of this comprehensive work. Addresses important challenges of sustainability and efficiency from a global perspective. Takes a detailed look at the important issues affecting the agricultural and food industries today. Full colour throughout.

The first modern scholarly synthesis of animal domestication Across the globe and at different times in the past millennia, the evolutionary history of domesticated animals has been greatly affected by the myriad, complex, and diverse interactions humans have had with the animals closest to them. The Process of Animal Domestication presents a broad synthesis of this subject, from the rich biology behind the initial stages of domestication to how the creation of breeds reflects cultural and societal transformations that have impacted the biosphere. Marcelo Sánchez-Villagra draws from a wide range of fields, including evolutionary biology, zooarchaeology, ethnology, genetics, developmental biology, and evolutionary morphology to provide a fresh perspective to this classic topic. Relying on various conceptual and technical tools, he examines the natural history of phenotypes and their developmental origins. He presents case studies involving mammals, birds, fish, and insect species, and he highlights the importance of domestication for the comprehension of evolution, anatomy, ontogeny, and dozens of fundamental biological processes. Bringing together the most current developments, The Process of Animal Domestication will interest a wide range of readers, from evolutionary biologists, developmental biologists, and geneticists to anthropologists and archaeologists.

Without domestication, civilization as we know it would not exist. Since that fateful day when the first wolf decided to stay close to human hunters, humans and their various animal companions have thrived far beyond nearly all wild species on earth. Tameness is the key trait in the domestication of cats, dogs, horses, cows, and other mammals, from rats to reindeer. Surprisingly, with selection for tameness comes a suite of seemingly unrelated alterations, including floppy ears, skeletal and coloration changes, and sex differences. It’s a package deal known as the domestication syndrome, elements of which are also found in humans. Our highly social nature—one of the keys to our evolutionary success—is due to our own tameness. In Domesticated, Richard C. Francis weaves history and anthropology with cutting-edge ideas in genomics and evo devo to tell the story of how we domesticated the world, and ourselves in the process.

Brings together research from a range of fields to address key questions relating to agriculture: its origins and long-term sustainability.

Sustainable management of the world's livestock genetic diversity is of vital importance to agriculture, food production, rural development and the environment. "The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture" is the first global assessment of these resources. Drawing on 169 Country Reports, contributions from a number of international organizations and 12 specially commissioned thematic studies, it presents an analysis of the state of agricultural biodiversity in the livestock sector - origins and development, uses and values, distribution and exchange, risk status and threats - and of capacity to manage these resources - institutions, policies and legal frameworks, structured breeding activities and conservation programmes. Needs and challenges are assessed in the context of the forces driving change in livestock production systems. Tools and methods to enhance the use and development of animal genetic resources are explored in sections on the state of the art in characterization, genetic improvement, economic evaluation and conservation. The main findings of the report are summarized in "The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture - in brief," of which the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish versions can be found on the attached CD-ROM and are also available separately in printed form. As well providing a technical reference document, the country-based preparation of "The State of the World" has led to a process of policy development and a "Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources," which once adopted, will provide an agenda for action by the international community. Published also in French.

Understand and apply key concepts of animal behavior in veterinary practice Animal behavior is a critical aspect of veterinary medicine, often underappreciated despite its pervasiveness throughout the field. Understanding animal behavior can facilitate communication with patients, refine diagnoses and indications of ill health, and aid in processes of learning and socialization. Introduction to Animal Behavior and Veterinary Behavioral Medicine offers a comprehensive overview of the key concepts underlying the behavior of multiple animal species before demonstrating how to apply these concepts clinically. The result is an indispensable resource for veterinary students and practitioners who want to deepen their understanding of patient needs. Introduction to Animal Behavior and Veterinary Behavioral Medicine readers will also find: Comprehensive coverage of companion animal behavior and additional coverage of livestock and wild animal behavior Detailed discussion of topics including social development, animal learning, and applied behavior analysis In depth review of diagnosis and treatment strategies for common behavior disorders in companion animals, extending to various additional species Companion website with videos, handouts for downloading, and links to pertinent scientific articles and informative websites Introduction to Animal Behavior and Veterinary Behavioral Medicine is ideal preparation for veterinary medical students as part of “day one readiness” in their professional careers, as well as veterinary practitioners looking for a solid foundation in animal behavior and the treatment of key issues.

Keeping It Living brings together some of the world'smost prominent specialists on Northwest Coast cultures to examinetraditional cultivation practices from Oregon to Southeast Alaska. Itexplores tobacco gardens among the Haida and Tlingit, managed camasplots among the Coast Salish of Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia,estuarine root gardens along the central coast of British Columbia,wapato maintenance on the Columbia and Fraser Rivers, and tended berryplots up and down the entire coast. With contributions from a host of experts, Native American scholarsand elders, Keeping It Living documents practices ofmanipulating plants and their environments in ways that enhancedculturally preferred plants and plant communities. It describes howindigenous peoples of this region used and cared for over 300 speciesof plants, from the lofty red cedar to diminutive plants of backwaterbogs.

Analysis of the transition to sedentary farming in the Fertile Crescent and the establishment of Neolithic culture based on major excavations in Iraq

Over a period of several millennia, from the Late Pleistocene to the Early Holocene (c. 13,000-7000 BC), communities in south-west Asia developed from hunter-foragers to villager-farmers, bringing fundamental changes in all aspects of life. These Neolithic developments took place over vast chronological and geographical scales, with considerable regional variability in specific trajectories of change. Two vital and consistent aspects of change were a shift from mobile to sedentary lifestyles and increasingly intensive human management of animal and plant resources, leading to full domestication of particular species. Building on earlier campaigns of archaeological investigation, the current phase of the Central Zagros Archaeological Project is designed to explore these issues in one key region, the Zagros zone including central west Iran. Two Early Neolithic mounds were excavated: Sheikh-e Abad in the high Zagros and Jani, in the foothills of the Mesopotamian plains, each comprising up to 10 m depth of deposits indicating occupation spanning over 2000 years, and providing great scope for diachronic and spatial analyses. These two sites make major contributions to knowledge regarding the origins of sedentism and increasing resource management in Southwest Asia, and associated developments in social, cultural and ritual practices in this formative region of human cultural development.