>There is nothing in that honey bee study that gives me the slightest hint
about honey bees having sub species versus simply being different breeds or
cultivars.

 

>The point is: genetic mapping tells you very little about who you are now.
Same goes with honey bees. You can map out their DNA and point to the
differences in the coding. But those differences may mean absolutely nothing
in terms of traits.

 

>Genetic markers can be used for identification purposes, like fingerprints.
Think about it: your fingerprints may identify who you are, but they say
nothing else about you.

 

As an amateur orchardist, I frequently buy cultivars- I buy them with the
expectation that they will be 'true to type'. Will there be variation?
Absolutely. Will any two cultivars (even genetic clones) perform exactly the
same? No.

 

They will however behave predictably in my specific environment whilst still
exhibiting a range of variation inherent in all biological lifeforms.

 

I have a fingerprint scanner on my cell phone- it is supposed to make it
more secure from unauthorized use because my fingerprint is unique. But some
of my children can gain access to my phone because even though their
fingerprints are unique from mine, they are sufficiently the same to be
confused with my own.

 

Now I will readily concede that the use of terms like subspecies versus
breed versus ecotype are a bit subjective, but in my view we cannot simply
dismiss genetic clustering that is sufficiently predictable so as to
separate different geographically and genetically isolated populations by
their 'fingerprint'.

 

I wonder if some of the confusion or blurring of the phenotype/genotype
evaluations emerge when hybridization enters the picture. As Brother Adam so
clearly demonstrated, selected crosses between 'subspecies' produce dynamic
and often unpredictable results. Indeed, reciprocal crosses between Italian
and Carniolan stock produce different results depending on which serves as
the paternal versus maternal base.

 

Same with my orchard- when two cultivars cross-pollinate and I plant those
seeds I am assured of two things:

 

1.	I can't really be sure what the resultant traits will be and;

 

2.	There will be a much wider variation in phenotypical outcomes out of
the offspring than there will be from the parental stock.

 

 

 


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