ABSTRACT
For the sake of simplicity, genetic studies have generally modelled domestication within a framework of strong bottlenecks (also called founder events), reproductive isolation between wild and domestic populations and strong artificial selection. New DNA sequencing technologies have realised the potential to sequence whole genomes of hundreds of individuals, thus providing ever greater degrees of resolution (and hence, power) to address the importance of intentionality and the degree to which it can be generalized across species. Here, we first discuss how genetics can be leveraged to address these issues and before reviewing the degree to which genetic evidence supports different models. We conclude that even the most recent studies have only begun to realise of the enormous potential of genomes as a window into domestication. An interesting trend is nevertheless emerging: domestication is highly species specific. Bottlenecks, reproductive isolation, and strong selection are by no means ubiquitous features, but rather linked to species (and even region) specific pathways of domestication.
