http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/11/content_7959440.htm
2 bacteria that used to be 1, becoming 1 again
BEIJING, April 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Two ancient bacteria that used to be one
are becoming one again and have been found in the guts of domestic livestock.
Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli aren't just exchanging genes
they're merging into a single species, scientists say.
The researchers think the marriage of the creatures represents a profound
example of how people can affect evolution.
"What we're seeing here is hybridization, and it's only been recently
acknowledged as an important part of evolution," said Samuel Sheppard, an
evolutionary microbiologist at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. "It's
really exciting stuff."
The team reached their conclusions by analyzing DNA, or genetic
information, from the bacteria found inside both wild and farm animals.
Ancient split C. jejuni and C. coli are thought to have shared a common
ancestor, or parent, in the ancient past. When the microbial descendent split
up and evolutionary pressures stepped in, two new species began to take shape
and fill different niches within the guts of wild chickens, pigs and other
animals.
Although the definition of a species is one of the most hotly debated
topics among biologists, Sheppard said the two microbes are strikingly
different, despite sharing about 85 percent of their genetic code.
"Chimpanzees and humans are known to be about 98 percent genetically
similar, so the bacteria's converging toward becoming a single species, as we
think, is pretty impressive," Sheppard told LiveScience. "That's a big genetic
gulf to leap. Maybe like a lobster mating with a fly."
Sheppard said the bacteria likely began reversing their growing divergence,
or genetic separation, when human agriculture came along. He thinks the
bacterial merger has accelerated in recent years, as the world has become more
industrialized and the demand for food has prompted crowded farms.
(Agencies)
Editor: Gareth Dodd
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