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Often the issue isn't two organisms can mate and have fertile offspring but whether or not they often do. A species can still be "real" if their gene pool is no
by jhbadger 8y ago
Often the issue isn't two organisms can mate and have fertile offspring but whether or not they often do. A species can still be "real" if their gene pool is not shared to a great degree. Yes, wolves, dogs, and coyotes can all interbreed, but there are real behavioral differences due to differing genetics -- their gene pools are not the same.
- gweinberg 8y agoIt may make sense to say two populations should be considered separate species if they are capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring if they almost never do. But that doesn't seem to be the case here. 15% "hybrids" is huge.
- EGreg 8y agoRight, so is this kind of a non-story? They are basically not distinct species, according to the story, so its premise is wrong.