Final answer:
Domestication refers to adapting wild plants and animals for human use, including the development of agriculturally beneficial traits in species. It is a bilateral relationship where not only the species were adapted, but humans also evolved traits that were compatible with an agricultural lifestyle, leading to the growth of complex societies with stable food sources.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Domestication: The term domestication refers to the process of adapting wild plants and animals for human use. This transformation includes taming wild animals and turning them into herds, cultivating plants to be more useful and sustainable for agricultural purposes, and selectively breeding for specific traits.
Theory of Human Domestication: The theory of human domestication suggests that as we adopted agricultural practices, humans also adapted traits that were beneficial within this new lifestyle, such as docility and cooperativeness. Therefore, the domestication process can be seen as a two-way interaction, where humans not only changed their environment but also experienced changes themselves.
Animal Domestication as a Resource: Animal domestication has been crucial for human societies, providing a reliable source of food, clothing, and transportation. Societies such as the Maasai developed pastoralism, a way of life centered around herding domestic animals, enabling them to breed and manage livestock.
Domestication of Plants: The domestication of plants has also been vital for the development of settled human civilizations. The agricultural revolution, involving the cultivation of plants, allowed for the growth of permanent settlements and complex societies, influencing the course of human history.