Does Regional Variability play a HUGE roll in evolutionary development?

[lincolngoh]

When Motoro breeds with other rays, you will notice that the motoro genes are really dominant. The pups need to be bred back to the pure non motoro strain 1-2 time more for a 50 50 look.

Even up to f3 -f4, you are still likely to get 2-3 motoro looking pups out of a litter of 6.

 

[ajb1971]

Anyone know of any DNA testing going on?

 

[Nic]

hmm there was a thread on that not too long ago...

 

[OscarBowfin]

I'm glad to see I helped stimulate some intelligent conversation regarding Evo Bio. I think what so interesting about even attempting to "understand" evolution is that it is nearly impossible to point at one factor (or selective force) as being a driver for evolution. Many (if not most or all) times it is a complex combination os selective forces working that we cannot isolate even under laboratory conditions.
Interestingly noone has brought up what role sexual selection may play in all of this. Sexual selection, which is basically non-random mate choice, plays a huge role in the appearance of species. Look at how many birds (and fish for that matter) display sexual dichromatism. The pattern of an any animal that can see to select a mate may be affected by forces of sexual slection.
I love this stuff!

 

[tank125]

I have not seen evidence of rays mating for life or any sort of mating ritual or dance. but it is evident that a male has to be powerful enough to flip a female to mate.

 

[jdepasqu2]

I love this stuff too....! I am always down for a interesting INTELLIGENT conversation....

I think it is interesing what was said a few posts ago from singapore...
That if it takes sometimes longer than 4 generations to remove the more dominent traits of a motoro from a ray.....

I believe that maybe a important part of our conversation that Miles was pointing out in the begining of this thread...
And yes i do believe that the exact location of a ray determines a large majority of its apperance....

Great stuff... why do i always feel as if all the advanced knowledge comes from germany and asia....???

And yes there was a thread a while back about the breeding of pot. species in asia.., and how certain patterns are achieved.....

 

[Miles]

Interestingly noone has brought up what role sexual selection may play in all of this. Sexual selection, which is basically non-random mate choice, plays a huge role in the appearance of species.

So does that mean that Male Motoros are more likely to select Female mates that will produce larger, stronger, and more viable offspring? I could see the parallel characteristics from both Motoro and Castexi in this way, and how they would choose to interbreed with each other.. while leaving 'ugly' and 'dwarf' brown rays like Orbignyi and Reticulata to mate with their own..

Opposite of that.. I wonder if rays such as Hystrix will see the Motoro species to be the more fit, rather then their own.. and intentionally attempt to mate with a Motoro to produce a stronger offspring..

Perhaps that is where the Rio Tigre Motoro sp 'Aparico' came about? The Hystrix in that river system realized that their own species was not the most dominant and/or fit for the area and intentionally selected a Motoro counterpart to genetically re-inforce their own subspecies..

 

[Miles]

Anyone know of any DNA testing going on?

I think we talked about this before but from what I remember is that it would basically be pointless because of hybridization in the wild and the fact that all potamotrygon will share such similar DNA that it will be near impossible to distinguish or make sense of it..

Could be wrong..

 

[Miles]

Great stuff... why do i always feel as if all the advanced knowledge comes from germany and asia....???

Because it does

 

[Miles]

4 or 5 generations in Asia can produce this..

So I think patternation is a really tough thing to decipher when we are talking about Potamotrygon.. they are all a bit 'guppy' it seems.


It makes me ponder more about the physical characteristics, and how I wish their was an easy access information database that explains the specifics from the holotypes for each subspecies.. ie: How many rows teeth Henlei have, compared to Motoro.. What type of tail structure Reticulata have compared to Hystrix.. The aqualog vaguely covers it, but not like R.S. Rosa's disseration does. would be nice for it the be online, however..