Canary Culture Concepts in Genetics

Abstract

Warning! After reading this article,
and the knowledge you gain from
reading it, you will not be able to splice
genes, or modify chromosomes to
create a black canary. Instead, this article
and subsequent articles on the same
subject will give you rudimentary concepts
of the subject genetics dealing
with canaries. Canaries are mostly bred
for show purposes, and breeders are
striving to improve their conformation
or color so it is important to be familiar
with some concepts of genetics.
Genetics is a comparatively young
science. It has been developed mostly
during the present century, but it is
interesting to go back to earlier studies
to see how the background for modern

genetics has evolved. Application of
genetic principles in breeding and
selection of cultivated plants and

domestic animals date back to ancient
records. For example, early Chinese
accounts show that superior varieties

of rice had been developed almost
6,000 years ago. Ancient Egyptian
paintings depict pictures of man crosspollinating
the date palm. The great
number of dogs and cats that exist
today show that our distant ancestors
were using genetic breeding techniques
to produce animals best suited
to their needs.

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