Kevin's Watch

Don't know if this belongs here really. Syl, feel free to shunt it to the LoresRaat if you think it more appropriate,

It's an interesting article though:

Evolution Revolution: Two Species Become One Says Study

--Avatar

It definitely is an interesting article.
What I want to know is how is this new species going to survive if it can't breed with other members of the species?
Does "moving" to a different location suddenly enable breeding?

Yeah, I'd think the ability to perpetuate your genetic material would be crucial to being termed a "species". But I have only one year of college biology to fall back on, so my pronouncement means squat.

Actually, I had exactly the same question. If they're sterile hybrids, (like mules usually are), then they can't perpetuate themselves, surely?

The options I though of were either that the two original species would continue mating, (which still doesn't seem like a new, viable species to me) or else the hybrids can still mate with either original, eventually "breeding out" their sterility. It doesn't say they're sterile though. Just that they can't mate with each other. Still, not entirely clear, was it? Interesting though.

--A

I'm not entirely sure I understand it, either. It's been about 20 years since I had my college genetics class.

But I would think that the two "parent" species would have to be pretty close to each other to begin with. Well, that's obvious. I've heard of such things as mules and hinneys (horse/donkey hybrids) and lion/tiger hybrids. But even those, so I believe, are usually sterile.

But I think in the case of the flies (and fish) in the article, the parent species would have to be even more closely related genetically than a horse and a donkey, or a tiger and a lion, in order for the offspring to be able to breed.

It's pretty interesting, and I would like a bit of a more in depth explanation.

This still intrigues me:

National Geographic News wrote:For a hybrid to become a full-blown new species, it requires a distinct niche where it can evolve separately from its two parent species. For the Lonicera fly, the alien honeysuckle plant provided that niche.

As a result, the fly provides the first evidence that two different animal species can interbreed and evolve into a new, distinct animal if their hybrid moves to a new habitat, the study suggests.

So I guess if we take the mules out of their natural habitat and move them elsewhere, they can eventually interbreed as well?

I am stuck here. All I can think of is Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park:
"Life finds a way."

That was about the only possibility that occured to me from the context of the article as well. (i.e. sperating them will allow them to eventually breed.) But can it happen in the single lifetime? I don't think so. Afterall, it's not like they can give birth to a reproducing offspring if they can't produce the offspring in the first place.

Dunno. Maybe one of our scientist types can suggest something here?

--A

According to the article, this was a 250 year process. That's a relatively short time span in the overall scheme of things.
Somehow, the hybrid offspring have to have developed the ability to reproduce, especially if they are separated from their parent species.
How that happens, I have no clue. I second the motion...we need a scientist type to join the discussion.
Meanwhile, I am going to count the species of mold in my refrigerator.