Hi Marty, yes, it would be great to start a new topic - I am heartily tired of some of the old ones. So in answer to your post, I've added a few comments.
"I speculate that this makes cross pollination more common in orchids than in most other flowering plants leading to a broadening of the gene pool, rapid evolution and the fantastic diversity we see in orchids today." Actually cross-pollination between species is far less common than you would think. It can only happen if the two species have the same pollinator, otherwise cross pollination can't happen. The 'fantastic diversity' is an evolutionary necessity due the huge range of specific pollinators needed by orchids, not due to the fact that lots of cross pollination is occurring between species and genera in the wild. Related species may share pollinators due to the similarities of column and lip structure but not unrelated genera. The mechanics just wouldn't work!! This of course applies to plants in the wild. The inter specific and inter generic crosses have come about through man made crosses and horticultural cultivation. The barriers to inter specific and inter generic pollination/fertilization often (but not always) being mechanical and not chemical or genetic. Which is why some intergenerics are possible and not others. If you consider the rate at which the rainforests etc are being destroyed, the orchid gene pool along with that of other plants is rapidly shrinking and not broadening! When we think of conservation, one thing that never seems to get a mention is that genetic diversity and the need to conserve this within species. Hope that this will kick off a new thread and give us all a change. best wishes Helen _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
