I'd like to put in my two cents worth here....
Let's just say that a quadaped and a biped habitats' were endangered,
polluted, and otherwise un-inhabitable by the above species. They would just
use their four or two legs, to move to more suitable habitats.
Except for a few mobile species of fish, like the Clarius catfish, what
chance would the less -mobile fish have at moving their bodies long
distances and surviving the dessication and predation from all of the
Earth's other creatures? None, of course. Fish just can't grow legs and walk
to another habitat!
Let's also say that ten aquarists all agreed to maintain the species that
was unable to survive in their natural habitat, and ten aquarists kept the
fish from that original biotype until it was restored to a pristine
(hopefully) condition and all ten populations from ten aquarists were
restored into their native habitat.
Given that all ten aquarist's stock may have evolved into different
colorations, sizes and quantities; once they are re-introduced into their
native habitat, then the forces of Mother Nature will weed out the sick and
weak and re-introduce the strenght of the gene-pool that was maintained in
the interim of aquarium breeding and the original fish should re-appear, if
no other genes were accidental introduced.....Correct?
Poecilidae are extremely capable of producing variable offspring, but their
genes are passed on from generation to generation. For example, if every
guppy breeder in the world placed their stock into one gigantic
pond then, the end result would most likely look like the original "wild"
guppy! The albino's and blacks would be the first to be weeded out by
natural selection and next would be the truly gaudy color variations like
reds, yellows, blues, etc! ( the birds would really love some color in their
diets!)
Please correct me if I'm wrong....
Just a train of thought, (and I don't have the train of thought too often,
hahaha)......
Regards to all!
BG
-----Original Message-----
From: Shireen Gonzaga <whimbrel_at_home.com>
To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net <nanfa at aquaria.net>
Date: Thursday, November 04, 1999 1:40 AM
Subject: Re: NANFA-- Re: TRADING POST
>mcclurg luke e <mcclurgl_at_washburn.edu>
>> You are absolutely right that the key is habitat restoration.
>> These species must have a place to live in the wild. I don't think we
>> will ever return some to their full range, but we can re-establish SOME
>> range for them. But what to do in the interim? Captive propagation is
>> still in my honest opinion the best way to save some crittically
>> endangereed species...
>
>You mean return captive propagated species to the wild?
>Like in artifical selection, y'know, the opposite of
>*natural* selection?
>
>These fish are the product of millions of years of evolution
>through natural selection. Why mess with that? After all, who
>are we to play "God?"
>
>> ...case in point, the California Condor...but that is
>> an extreme case.
>
>Too late. They'll be joining the Eskimo Curlew and Passenger
>Pigeon in a dusty Smithsonian display case--it's just a matter
>of time. Humans have undone in a few decades what nature took
>millions of years to nuture. I guess running to the rescue of
>the C. Condor gives people a warm fuzzy feeling. I can't think
>of any other reason why this species is being saved.
>
>Gotta go. I feel the urge to swing from a tree ...
>
>shireen
>
>/--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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