There appears to be a story online about a species that people have pushed to extinction every day. Although hunting, consuming, and killing other species for millennia has been a tragic reality of life, humans aren’t always evil—sometimes we even start new species.Actually, if it weren’t for humans, a number of species would not even exist.
Through artificial selection, anthropogenic speciation, and other techniques, humans have even succeeded in bringing new species into life, helping to prevent the extinction of species at the hands of other creatures.Without humans, these ten species—some of which may surprise you—would not exist.
1. Dogs
In the realm of artificial selection, dogs are arguably the most well-known species. Dogs as we know them would not exist if humans didn’t exist. Our relationship with the greatest animal companion has a longer history than history has written, putting them among the most significant species in the evolution of humanity.As any anyone who has seen a dog would attest, most varieties of dogs have nothing in common with wolves. Dogs are a diverging species of the grey wolf.
This is a result of the polymorphic breeding that humans have done over the course of millennia, since we have mostly concentrated our attention on selected features that facilitate hunting, herding, and collecting.The purpose of early dogs’ (C. l. familiaris) breeding was to maximize their power and hunting prowess.It was a win-win situation for both species since we fed them and they protected and assisted us with hunting.We started creating dog breeds for different uses over time, which is why we have dogs like labradoodles, pugs, and chihuahuas.
Though they are fantastic friends and mood lifters, these pups aren’t so great at saving humanity. Unfortunately, as every dog owner knows, older breeds often have longer, healthier lives, while current breeds are more likely to suffer from a variety of hereditary diseases as a result of their original breeding practices.
2. Avocados
Curiously, the avocado isn’t an example of a species that humans crossed-pollinated to become extinct or anything like. As an alternative, we made sure they survived a significant extinction event because we loved eating them so much.As enormous ground sloths and other huge creatures called North America home throughout the Cenozoic epoch, avocados came into being.
Avocado trees proliferated because the fruit attracted these animals, who would consume them and deposit their huge seeds in their dung. The avocado became extinct not too long after those massive animals did, about 13,000 years ago.Avocados’ capacity to spread by manure was eliminated with the extinction of North American megafauna.
The avocado tree’s luscious fruit was happily consumed by homo sapiens, who were fortunately a new species at the time and ensured the tree’s survival after North America’s megafauna disappeared.The plant was domesticated by humans from its wild forms. They transformed into the beloved avocados we know today over time. If avocados weren’t so delicious to humans, they probably would have gone extinct 12–13,000 years ago.
3. Cows
A species of Eurasian wild ox that became extinct in 1627 is called the auroch, if you know anything about anthropogenic extinction. Although those robust cattle were formerly beloved by people, they have long since gone extinct. Thankfully, there is the contemporary cow (Boboe) species, which is found all over the world and is thought to number 1.5 billion as of 2018.
It is thought that humans tamed modern cows from a single herd of aurochs that existed 10,500 years ago. Based on genetic study, it is estimated that about 80 members of that aurochs herd were tamed. All of the cattle that are in existence today descended from those people.Over 1,000 distinct breeds have been created as a result of human domestication of that herd.
Numerous animals have adjusted to the climate in their area. On the other hand, people have developed some animals—like labor, meat, and milk—for particular uses.Although there are still a few of wild cattle breeds, artificial selection and human involvement brought about the domestic cow that we utilize to produce dairy products and steak.
4. Greens
Every day, billions of people around the world eat vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, kale, and collard greens. If not for humans, these vegetables would not exist, and their evolution has been rather interesting. Technically speaking, those vegetables are all from the same plant, even if they are all very distinct.B. oleracea is a species of wild cabbage that grows wild over most of Europe.
In much of its natural state, it is inedible. The leaves and stems can be eaten uncooked, technically. Still, the majority of individuals favor this biennial plant’s cultivated varieties.In the northern Mediterranean region, wild cabbage was first cultivated probably in the fifth century BC.Artificial selection was first used by humans to pick the features they valued, leading to a multitude of varieties that are remarkably distinct from one another.
The first variety dates back to the fifth century BC and was called kale. Around the turn of the first century, kale plants were cultivated to produce cabbage and kohlrabi. Cauliflower and broccoli appeared during the fifteenth century, and Brussels sprouts appeared in the eighteenth century.
5. The London Underground Mosquito
Not every organism that has survived or given rise to a speciation did so on purpose. Only because of our propensity to burrow under the earth to facilitate our movement from one location to another can the London Underground mosquito (C. molestus) arise.Since C. molestus was first found in 1775, it is most likely that the species evolved as a result of adaption to subterranean networks created by humans.
Although it was identified in Egypt long before the Underground was built, the species receives its name from the London Underground, where it has been reported to inhabit. Since then, it has spread over Australasia, Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America.Because they have fully evolved to life underground, these mosquitoes are unlike any other species.They live in the underground and sewer systems of New York City, but they emerge from these areas to feed on human blood.
They frequently infiltrate homes through air vents in basements and other below-ground areas.It is unusual for mosquitoes to be entirely adapted to live in urban areas, yet this species has evolved to do just that. The West Nile virus, the Ross River virus, and other common diseases carried by the pests are only a few of the many issues they pose.
6. Potatoes
Another important crop grown worldwide is potatoes, however they have only been around for millennia due to selective breeding from a single species that started between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago. The native inhabitants of Peru domesticated the species S. brevicaule. We today have access to thousands of various varieties of potatoes because to their labors.
The original potato (Saccharum tuberosum) was bitter and largely inedible. As the plant evolved into its current form, it rose to prominence as one of South America’s most significant crops. The potato is said to have had a major role in the population explosion that occurred between 1700 and 1900.Growing new plants from old ones is one of the reasons potatoes are such a popular species with so many variants.
To replant potatoes, simply cut them into 2″ (5.1cm) portions. It’s one of the reasons why potato hybridization has gotten so simple.The globalization of potato cultivation and transport has made potatoes one of the most significant staple crops. Considering how the plant originated, the fact that millions of tons of potatoes are consumed annually throughout the world is astounding.
7. Goldfish
Since the fish we presently win at carnivals wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for people, goldfish are an excellent illustration of selective breeding. The existence of goldfish as we know them is quite recent—about a millennium or so.Contemporary goldfish are a subspecies of carp that have undergone selective breeding to attain the particular color and body type deemed most aesthetically pleasing.The Asian carp was originally cultivated for food, but during the Jin Dynasty (265–420 AD), things started to change.
When people saw the mutation that resulted in vivid red, orange, and yellow scale colorings during that time, they decided to breed those fish with individuals that looked similar.Fish began to inhabit ornamental ponds and water gardens by the Tang family as their predominant yellowish-orange coloring developed throughout time.
People continued raising Asian carp in the more desired colorations because the golden coloring contrasts with the silver coloration that is naturally present in these fish.Around 1,000 years ago, people began tampering with the breeding process until the modern goldfish (C. auratus), in all of its varieties, gained popularity as a pet and ornamental fish.
8. Corn
A staple commodity used for anything from livestock feed to artificial sweeteners, corn is grown all over the world. However, people alone are to blame for it becoming that way. Corn did not appear like it does now, but approximately 9,000 years ago, a variety of grass became one of the most important food sources on the planet, thanks to the actions of the indigenous peoples of Mexico.The current plant known as corn (maize) was partially produced via artificial selection of other crops.
Plants were selected according to the size of the kernels and ears they yielded. Since their predecessor, teosinte, doesn’t naturally yield anything resembling contemporary corn.Though its history is divided into several waves, corn domestication started about 9,000 years ago. Corn was domesticated in the Andes during the first.
In the South American lowlands, a second wave arrived around 2,000 years ago.There is a striking difference between modern corn and its natural origins. The earliest maize plants that are known to exist only produced one ear per plant, measuring around one inch (25 mm). Several ears of 6.5–7.5″ (165–177 mm) are produced by modern corn plants.
9. Crab Louse
The louse, often known as body lice, is one of the most bothersome parasites on the earth. These rodents are a problem for the majority of hairy animals. There is a special combination that exposes humans to two distinct types of these parasites.Other primates frequently suffer from head and body lice, which is why you frequently see monkeys and apes removing and devouring insects from one other’s hair.
As the only species on the world with this type of coupling, humans “enjoy” two such species.Like other animals, humans also suffer from lice, but we are the only ones whose pubic region is attacked by a different type.Because it needs the coarse hair that grows in our pubic area to survive, the crab louse (P. pubis) developed independently from the genus Pediculus.
About 2% of all humans are infected by this species, which is mainly spread through sexual activities. Luckily, they don’t carry any known diseases because their presence alone compensates for that. If not for people, the species would not exist, yet it is one that humans wouldn’t mind eliminating.
10. Wheat
A staple crop that feeds people all throughout the world is wheat. However, it is only here because of meticulous and deliberate cultivation, which has made a wild grass the foundation for almost all baked goods ever created.The Fertile Crescent is where wheat was originally farmed some 11,600 years ago. Harvested by humans, the crop gave rise to mutant varieties.
The bigger grains produced by these mutant grasses held the seeds after harvesting. The crop that is now known as wheat evolved over time, and it has powered humanity ever since.There is a theory that suggests wheat domesticated humans rather than the other way around. The crop’s cultivation was the spark that ignited agriculture, which in turn sparked the rise of human civilization.
If wheat hadn’t been present, we would have continued to go around and consume berries and other available food.After domesticating wheat, people ceased to stray in search of sustenance. It’s an intriguing idea, but regardless of your position, it’s undeniable that contemporary wheat wouldn’t exist if people hadn’t begun cultivating a particularly delicious grain some 12,000 years ago.[1]
