Two Butterfly Species Evolved Into Third
Posted on June 14, 2006 Comments (1)
Two Butterfly Species Evolved Into Third, Study Finds by James Owen, National Geographic News:
Researchers say their creation reveals a process called hybrid speciation, in which the genes of two existing species combine to produce a third.
The study suggests hybridization may be more important to the evolution of new animals than had previously been thought.
Hybrids such as the mule, a cross between a donkey and a horse, are sterile. But the team says the butterfly hybrid brought together a combination of genes that allowed it to breed and there be considered a new species.
One Response to “Two Butterfly Species Evolved Into Third”
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July 12th, 2007 @ 11:02 pm
It makes a great deal of sense that evolution would have such bursts under the right conditions. This seems an nearly perfect example of such conditions – if males can be produced they are going to have a large opening to reproduce and rapidly pass on a new tool to fight the bacteria…