Posted by:
natsamjosh
at Wed Sep 9 21:10:43 2009 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by natsamjosh ]
Interesting, thanks for the info. One of the issues you mentioned relates directly to the thread above. From the article cited in that thread:
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"We'll never really know how Burmese pythons established themselves in the Everglades," Gibbons said in a phone interview Monday. "Some people think pet owners who released pythons into the wild were the cause, while others think the snakes were accidentally released when Hurricane Andrew hit the state in the 1990s. Either way, we'll never be able to tell because current populations are so genetically diverse."
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I've only seen one DNA study, and it seems to contradict Mr. Gibbons statements. And from the meeting minutes you just posted:
"Burmese Pythons (BP's) have been studied in the Everglades and there is no genetic variability between those found there...suggesting that they came from 1 founder stock. There are no albinos, no greens, no granites, or other color / pattern morphs / genetic mutations. Burmese Pythons from the pet trade in Florida come from 4 countries...the BP invasion in the Everglades could not be pet released without any genetic variability. Albinos could not survive in the Everglades in any case. "
So what gives? Did Dr. Gibbons just make that up about the Everglades burms being so "genetically diverse?" Or am I misunderstanding something?
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RE: Everglades info - natsamjosh, Wed Sep 9 21:10:43 2009