Re: About hybrids

"Perplexed in Peoria" <jimmenegay@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:dc4gs6$2jsr$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> "Paul Ciszek" <nospam@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:dc2uk8$22ti$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>> In article <dbr3qb$2al1$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
>> McEve <catfish@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> >
>> >"Guy Hoelzer" <hoelzer@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> >news:dbq0bj$1p2p$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> There are examples of viable hybrids produced by species that are very
>> >> different
>> >> (e.g., from different genera)
>> >
>> >Can you give an example of this?
>>
>> Cattle are genus Bos; the American Bison is genus Bison. These
>> can be crossed to any degree; in fact, as I understand it none of
>> the bison around today can be guaranteed to be be pure bison--most
>> have some cow in their ancestry.
>
> If interbreeding between Bos and Bison is that easy, then isn't this
> evidence that separating them into two genera was a mistake? Shouldn't
> they actually be in the same species? At least by the "biological
> species" definition of a species.

Anyone with a good explanation of what evidence must be in place for a
species to be accepted as a species of its own?

Example:
The Crow has two subspecies in Europe - Corvus corone corone and C. c.
cornix. In the overlapping areas crossbreeding with fertile offspring is not
uncommon. Crossbreeding with fertile offspring is one reason why these crows
are just divided into subspecies and not into two species.

What other arguments for/against giving an animal/bird/plant/fish/etc the
status as a species are there?

--
_________________
Rolf @ Questus ans




.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Species and Hybrids (was: Oh piss off *spoilers*)
    ... Cattle can mate with bison or buffalo to produce ... Some species of finches can crossbreed ... to produce fertile hybrids. ... European bison are the species Bison ...
    (rec.arts.drwho)
  • Re: Elephant/Mammoth NA
    ... > But a previously unknown herd of wood buffalo ... Although free-ranging bison have been absent from Canada's ... It has been suggested that these were mountain or wood bison ... numbers and distribution of all ungulate species, ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Elephant/Mammoth NA
    ... > the production of fertile offspring then how can European cattle and ... > bison be considered anything other than the same species? ... _Bison bison pennsylvanicus_, in West Virginia. ... There was supposed to have been another subspecies, ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Species and Hybrids (was: Oh piss off *spoilers*)
    ... Cattle can mate with bison or buffalo to produce ... Some species of finches can crossbreed ... to produce fertile hybrids. ... European bison are the species Bison ...
    (rec.arts.drwho)
  • Re: About hybrids
    ... >> There are examples of viable hybrids produced by species that are very ... >> (e.g., from different genera) ... Cattle are genus Bos; the American Bison is genus Bison. ...
    (sci.bio.evolution)