Does anyone know if anyone has looked at or considered any epigenetic effects in orchids? We all know that the rapid accumulation of DNA data on species and subsequent groupings into clades is/has led to turning many genera (and orchid judges and enthusiasts) on their heads. On the other hand there are a lot of cases where morphology doesn't quite match that so the next question is, if for instance there is a lot of rapid speciation going on in places like Ecuador (Hirtz), then is it possible that some of this so-called speciation could be epigenetic effects brought on by intense and in a historical perspective 'sudden' environmental changes like deforestation or climate change. I guess the key word is rapid, which is why I asked the second question about epigenetic effects because if any of these new 'species' are really epigenetic changes that may only last a few generations because they are epigenetic and not as stable as DNA changes, then how is the taxonmist barely hanging onto a wet hillside in the field Ecuador to know what is a real species or not (given something that looks new is really an epigenetic effect). I have pondered this since the magazine Nature had a series of featured articles on epigenetics a couple of months ago. Jean Allen-Ikeson in Nova Scotia, Canada
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