OT: line breeding
- Subject: OT: line breeding
- From: J* C*
- Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 14:26:48 PST
From: "Jan Clark" <janclarx@hotmail.com>
Theresa wrote:
>Jan I wasn't knocking line breeding but if you get it to close at least
in sheep, horses, rabbits etc; If there are any genetic weakness they
come out.
No more so than in plants. Line breeding is used to good effect in
animals, just as it is in plants. The 'rejects' are more likely to go on
and live productive lives as pets, or in flocks/herds. The gross defects
that you imagine in animals are often congenital, rather than genetic in
origin. Line breeding is quite natural in wild animals, and small human
populations, where natural selection culls out any major problems.
Gross defects in animals affect us psychologically and economically. The
microcephalic kitten or two headed calf will have a gut wrenching effect
on you, like a first viewing of Alien, where a wierd looking iris will
just be chucked on the compost without a backward glance.
Weakenesses are actually less likely to surface than in plants,
especially with animals which only produce a few progeny in a long
lifetime.
Jan Clark, in Australia
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