a population is all the individuals within a defined area. I already explained that I don't know the exact boundaries of these, but I know roughly where they are no longer found.

Also I did not say I have studied them for 20 years. I said I have 20 years of data. In addition, the way mtDNA studies work uses geological time to estimate the mutations in the non-coding regions of the mitochondria. These DNA sequences are passed on genetically unchanged - what that means is when there are difference in mtDNA between individuals those changes are a result of random mutation from DNA copy errors. These errors are estimated to occur very rarely in coding regions of the mitochondria because all the mitochondrial genes are critical to cellular function and any mutations are likely fatal. However, there are a few non-coding regions that can accumulate mutations without any overall effect, however the mutations still occur very rarely (estimated to be many thousands of years).

So when you find a bunch of snakes collect the blood, extract the DNA, amplify it, sequence it and analyze it and find out that all these snakes from a couple acre canyon came from one female, and the snakes from five miles down the road in either direction do not, and then you go and repeat that work on a long term laboratory colony of snakes and can tell where they were caught based on the DNA sequence, then you will have the evidence that I do.









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"Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew!" Charlie Papazian

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