Re: Hybrid Fish - A few cents more

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

Billinet said, in part:

> The difference between hybrids and various "strains" of fish and dogs
> is, of 
> course, that the "strains" are still of the same species, and if they
> did get 
> escape the characteristics would soon disappear into the "wild" gene
> pool 
> without changing it.  There is a much larger risk with fertile
> hybrids.

If they are infertile/impotent, the traits wouldn't diappear into the
gene pool; the creatures would die off.  Of course, it's conceiveable
that the supply of sterile creattures in the wild could continuously be
replenshed by human machinations.

Very different scenarios if they can reproduce or mate with existing
wild species.   Whether a trait is lost can depend on a number of
factors both biological and environmental.  The introduction of a new
trait into a gene pool, whether by human machinations or natural
environmental or biological abberations, presents the possiblity of a
new dominant trait that might persist.  And the new persisitent trait
might help the species, as such, to survive, to fail, or it could be
innocuous.  

Not only can species be thought of as competing in the wild, but
genetic traits within a species can also be treated that way.

Scott H.

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