Posted by:
dustyrhoads
at Mon Jun 28 14:36:25 2010 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by dustyrhoads ]
>>There may be some species which have refined their adaptations to a specific habitat. But there are so many examples that show the opposite.
Hence, my examples of the gray wolves, migratory birds, etc.
>>Contrary to what many Alterna collectors believe there have been examples of most of the pattern types found sometimes side by side. They have found Blairs and Alterna types, light and dark, all within the same areas. Why don't the dark ones that are easier to see die out?
Probably because they are under the ground about 99.999999% of their entire lives. There's very little selective pressure for cryptic coloration. Even then, there's enough of an evolutionary reason for them being called "Gray-Banded" Kingsnakes. These snakes live in limestone subterranean habitat, which is gray. Evolution by natural selection theory would predict them to be more gray than other Lampropeltis species that aren't so closely connected with limestone habitat.
>>There are many variables in these studies and many times the studies are conducted with the ideah of proving a certain theory to be correct.
Give me a break. It's called peer-reviewed literature for a reason. The peers are there to make sure there are no biases. Trust me, as a biologist, I can tell you that that kind of stuff would be way too obvious to "slip through the nets" of the rigors of getting published in these journals. And further, how are the undisciplined, random assumptions of a lay hobbyist just as likely to be correct? They're not.
>>I'm just going by what we see everyday. Pythons living thousands of miles from their home in the Everglades! There is always more than we want to admit.
Invasive species sweeping through a naive ecosystem is COMPLETELY different than adaptation. This is why epidemics like Swine Flu and the Black Death spread so fast. The naive populations had not evolved immune responses quick enough. Just like alligators and woodrats had not evolved to evade 15-foot pythonids! Equivalent to an evolutionary arms race.
Despite their advantages (plenty of naive food species available, etc.), the pythons did not adapt to their new area and most were frozen last year during the cold snaps.
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RE: the Noah's Ark method of conservation... - dustyrhoads, Mon Jun 28 14:36:25 2010