How domestication alters fish phenotypes

Abstract Domestication can be defined as the adaptation of an animal to the human environment and its constraints. Accumulating evidence strongly indicates that domestication plays essential roles in modulating the phenotypes of teleosts, despite the scattered information. Animal husbandry and molecular, physiological and behavioural studies have identified a high degree and complexity of biological changes induced by domestication. These phenotypic modifications during domestication vary greatly amongst species and physiological function (e.g. growth, reproduction, response to stress and immunity), probably due to a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors that can interfere with phenotypic changes. Indeed, much information about domestication is lacking, which impedes the generalisation of our understanding of the effects of domestication. This review gathers and clarifies the available information about the main effects of fish domestication. We use a broad physiological approach for understanding these biological consequences, from the genesis of domestication (e.g. netting from the wild) to the ultimate step (controlled artificial selection). We also suggest ways to predict the effects of domestication and to better understand the sources of the biological changes.