Instant Monsters

maa32 · 19 Mar 2002, 03:26 · from urth-v0203.mbox · original

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From: maa32 <maa32 at dana.ucc.nau.edu>
Subject: (urth) Instant Monsters
Date: Mon, 18 Mar 2002 20:26:29 -0700
Message-ID: <urth-v0203-377 at digest.urth.net>
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Here is one more interesting lecture that talks about the creation of insta=
nt=20
species.  If you've had enough polyploidy, ignore it, but its terms are pre=
tty=20
cool.  It tells that polyploidy is the only way to create an instant monste=
r=20
or a new species!

"
'Instant Species' and Hopeful Monsters

Is it possible to create a new species instantaneously, in one fell swoop?=20
This idea was very popular when Mendelian genetics were rediscovered and=20
mutations were studied. But it turns out (not unexpectedly) that an organis=
m=20
is a highly complex whole in which many parts must cooperate. Large changes=20
tend not to make such a complex whole better, but tend to completely spoil =
at=20
least one complex part of the whole.

There is one clearly documented instance of 'instant speciation' which is v=
ery=20
rare in animals, but common in plants:

Polyploidy (having more than 2 sets of chromosomes as in a normal diploid
individual).

     Individual: 2 sets of chromosomes (diploid)
     Sex cells; 1 set of chromosome (haploid)

Combination of individuals of different species (with different sets of=20
chromosomes)
is not possible because the two different chromosomes can not pair up.

A can not pair with B, but if individuals have double sets of chromosomes, =
the
body-cells can be AABB, the sex cells AB. In reality, this occurs both with=20
doubling chromosomes within a species, or by doubling genes during=20
hybridization of two species. "

--=20

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