Re: Genetic diversity
Michael.Chamberland (23274MJC@MSU.EDU)
Wed, 11 Dec 96 17:06 EST
> From: dave evans <T442119@rutadmin.rutgers.edu>
>
> > From: Nigel Hurneyman <NHurneyman@SOFTWAR1.DEMON.CO.UK>
> >
> > The major thrust of the legitimate conservation agencies is towards
> > preserving biodiversity. One of the biggest problems for a hobbyist like
> > myself is preserving genetic diversity - in some cases I have resurrected
> > a species of pygmy Drosera within my collection using the gemmae from
> > just one plant, which strikes me as very dangerous.
>
> Actually Nigel, you (and the rest of us) are in this way creating
> more diversity! Now, each of our collected species which we keep
> will be different from those of our trading partners =-> Since we
> each select the best plants for our conditions by killing those
> don't do well (whether we want to or not), overall, the individual
> colonies we each have will show more diversity when compared to
> the other colonies in other's collections.
Dave, I assume you accidentally left off the smilely :-)
The plants that die contain part of the gene variation. Those that
survive represent a subset of the original diversity, so genetic
diversity is lost. What has occurred is a selection for plants
that do well in cultivation. Offspring get traded around between
collectors and the end result is strong selection for whatever is
similar in cultivation practices. An easy-to-grow cultivar is
the product of the selection.
Michael Chamberland