The genetic diversity of the canine population must be fairly fragile anyhow, because geneticists say that if dogs were allowed to breed freely, it would only take about 10 generations for the canine species to lose all resemblance to specific breeds. They would end up looking, not surprisingly, somewhat like Dingos. Interestingly enough, however, the mixed breeds/heinz 57 variety of canines carry more genetically transmitted diseases than any pure bred. (This comes from George Pagett, long time breeder of pure bred dogs and geneticist; not me) Myra Savant
>From: Laura Trunk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel List ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Re: [CKCS-L] more on genetic diversity >Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 21:43:51 -0500 > > > > Some breeds have been around for a VERY long time and have gone thru > > > bottlenecks and not had much of a gene pool, yet the breed keeps >trucking > > > along. > >In evolution terms, no man-made breed of dog has been around for a long >time--let alone a very long time. We know not what we are doing so far as >keeping a breed alive for thousands and thousands of years. Ask if those >inbred mice are able to adapt to changing conditions, or must they live >their life in a sterile laboratory? > >There are many, many articles written by geneticists who have proven time >and again that the higher the inbreeding coefficient, the shorter the >lifespan is. One well known article is the Poodle and the Chocolate Cake. > >I will agree with them instead. The reason being that if there was any >truth to the fact that you could keep inbreeding without losing vigor--then >there would occasionally be dogs that live for hundreds of years--those >with >an exceptionally good genetic makeup. The same thing that causes aging and >eventual death to those dogs with even the very best genetic makeup--a >breakdown in the immune system--is the thing that will almost certainly be >lost if one breeds too closely. A genetic time bomb. If one thinks they >are going to beat *nature*, I would bet they would lose. > >Laura Lang >Roycroft Cavaliers > >========================================================= >"Magic Commands": >to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: >mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL >to start it up gain click here: >mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL > > E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. >Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html > >All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author. _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
