--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] skrev: > In a message dated 10/5/04 4:22:37 AM, Greig Russell > writes: > > My major problem arises because I cannot see that > many of the plants that > > we grow and call "species" could be placed back > into their "natural habitat" > > and still function; and if they cannot do that, > then they are not part of a > > species. > > > And if you couldn't put a purebred Pekingese back > into the wild and have it > function, does that make it not a member of Canis > familiaris? > The whole point of reality TV, like "Survival," is > that most of us effetely > line-bred humans could not function very well in the > wild. I don't know about > you, but last time I looked, I was still a > card-carrying member of Homo sapiens > sapiens, regardless of my "natural habitat" survival > skills. The same is true > of plants. > Iris
There are humans still surviving in the wild, but aint our natural habitat the cities we live in. Humans are special in that we constantly try to change our habitat. In this human adapted habitat many plant species actually thrive and depend on our interaction to create and maintain their special little niche. Also being a cat enthusiast I know that the domestic short haired cat is very far from its wild origin... which might very possibly be a hybrid origin, but nobody really knows. Also I find it sad to see the breeds that have been made by man for show and pet purposes mix with the domestic cat... The breeds after all have been carefully selected for special characteristics, many really just being mutations of more or less radical form (deformed cranium, no tail, curly hair etc). The same holds true for our domesticated orchid species. Even without selective breeding the gene pool will very fast favour plants that thrive in our windows/greenhouses. Add to that the selective breeding for certain characteristics. And how many of our species can we be sure is 100% pure, who know what might have been added, intentionally or accidentally. Introducing such plants back into nature would very likely be species pollution... Sorry, but I believe we are fooling ourselves if we believe our plants are in anyway part of preserving the species.. though if we share and make our plants available we might be able to take pressure of wild collection, and use them to educate others about the wonderful nature of orchids and why the should be preserved in the wild... But of course this is just my opinion. However, I still distinct my "species" from the hybrids I grow, and actually dare write the species name on the tag ;) Kind regards Karen Frederiksen ===== Sofaen - besat af katte http://www.geocities.com/simoom.geo Orkide Vinduet - jfvnligt vandaliseret af katte http://www.orkide.hjem.wanadoo.dk _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
