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A breed is a
domesticated subspecies or infrasubspecies of an animal. For a type
to be recognised as a breed, there should be a viable true-breeding
population. The term may also be used as a verb, meaning action
intended to produce offspring. The breeder makes it his or her trade
to engage in plant breeding and the maintainance and creation of
breeds of animals suitable for domestication.
A breed has no close analogy for domesticated plants. An important difference is that plants are commonly propagated by striking or grafting cuttings: there is no corresponding technique for animals. Cloning may change this if it becomes more available. A breed should also be distinguished
from a strain, which is simply the descendants of a single significant
individual, and which in domesticated animals is also known as a
bloodline. A strain may not remain entirely within a breed, nor
is a breed necessarily composed of a single strain. |
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