Why this seems to be happening in wild animals'

[Moontanman]

Quiz lets discuss what this phenomena indicates....

 

[fiveworlds]

Can I venture a guess as to the albino turtle being a result of a genetic cross. Where the albino gene is non-dominant.

[Moontanman]

Can I venture a guess as to the albino turtle being a result of a genetic cross. Where the albino gene is non-dominant.

 

 

I'm thinking genetic bottleneck from there being so few in the world it's causing inbreeding on a huge scale, it's happening in sea mammals, sea turtles, deer, I can't think of another reason to for many albino and leucistic animals in the wild..

Edited September 25, 2014 by Moontanman

[Roamer]

How plausible is it that the survival of the albino-trait is due to predators killing off most of the prey in a given area, then the few remaining prey changing colors and becoming harder to recognize as prey ?

[fiveworlds]

How plausible is it that the survival of the albino-trait is due to predators killing off most of the prey in a given area, then the few remaining prey changing colors and becoming harder to recognize as prey ?

 

It's possible Darwin mentioned something similar.

[Moontanman]

How plausible is it that the survival of the albino-trait is due to predators killing off most of the prey in a given area, then the few remaining prey changing colors and becoming harder to recognize as prey ?

 

 

White, would be a doubtful way to conceal yourself in a non white environment, it might work in the Arctic but albinism is widely considered a problem for any animal in the wild...

[John Cuthber]

Could it be an indication of more people with digital cameras and internet access?

[CharonY]

I do not understand what the question is. Is it how albinism occurs at all?

[Moontanman]

I do not understand what the question is. Is it how albinism occurs at all?

 

 

No in relatively recent history more and more odd colored animals are starting to appear in the wild. From Deer to Turtles unusual color sports are starting to become more common, you can see it very easily in populations of deer, that is the fist wild adult albino sea turtle i've ever seen but it made me think of some other odd balls that have been showing up, whales, dolphins, alligators. Most of these are animals who populations were decimated in the recent past and are now regaining numbers. I think it represents the results of the genetic bottleneck of low numbers.

[Acme]

No in relatively recent history more and more odd colored animals are starting to appear in the wild. From Deer to Turtles unusual color sports are starting to become more common, you can see it very easily in populations of deer, that is the fist wild adult albino sea turtle i've ever seen but it made me think of some other odd balls that have been showing up, whales, dolphins, alligators. Most of these are animals who populations were decimated in the recent past and are now regaining numbers. I think it represents the results of the genetic bottleneck of low numbers.

Could you provide some substantive evidence/reference for this claim? Sounds rather anecdotal to me.

[Anthony Morris]

More and more people have cameras on their person at all times now. The more people you put out there with photo capabilities the more shots of unusual things you will get. Then there is the photo-shop capability. Can not rule that out.

[Moontanman]

Could you provide some substantive evidence/reference for this claim? Sounds rather anecdotal to me.

 

 

I think you might be right, to be honest I thought I would find a citation for this quite easily but I didn't, lots of stuff about hunting these deer but a distinct lack of any consideration as to why or even if the number of normal colors to odd ones..

[Acme]

I think you might be right, to be honest I thought I would find a citation for this quite easily but I didn't, lots of stuff about hunting these deer but a distinct lack of any consideration as to why or even if the number of normal colors to odd ones..

Whew! I thought I was the only one drawing a blanc. I wonder why there are no reports of albino sasquatch in NA. Albino bison were (are?) strong medicine for the natives. And I also wonder since polar bears have black skin and white fir, would an albino polar bear have black fir?

[Moontanman]

Whew! I thought I was the only one drawing a blanc. I wonder why there are no reports of albino sasquatch in NA. Albino bison were (are?) strong medicine for the natives. And I also wonder since polar bears have black skin and white fir, would an albino polar bear have black fir?

 

 

I actually did have a talk with a retired field biologist that worked for fish and game and he did agree that the populations have been increased from very low genetic diversity and that inbreeding could be at the heart of the deer thing. At least some of the deer are really leucistic and have blue eyes with normal eyesight but snow white fur or scales in the case of reptiles. .

 

A large number of albino alligators have hatched out of eggs collected from the wild. I have never seen an adult albino sea turtle.

 

There are Black Bears with white fur, a small population in the Canadian West. There are also animals with melanism something else rather rare in most populations... I caught a melanistic RedFin Pickerel several years ago, I know of populations of new fish species that are IMHO differentiated from the general population due to isolated conditions and limited food supply, probably merge back with the area populations if the isolation was broken.

 

I'm not going to give up just yet. I know I've read this stuff someplace...

The reason I made clear that these animals are breeding in the wild is because we are breeding a great many unusual animals in captivity now days and some of the mutations that have been fixed are impressive... but not related to the wild populations.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Moontanman

[arc]

No in relatively recent history more and more odd colored animals are starting to appear in the wild. From Deer to Turtles unusual color sports are starting to become more common, you can see it very easily in populations of deer, that is the fist wild adult albino sea turtle i've ever seen but it made me think of some other odd balls that have been showing up, whales, dolphins, alligators. Most of these are animals who populations were decimated in the recent past and are now regaining numbers. I think it represents the results of the genetic bottleneck of low numbers.

 

 

For it to be driven by natural selection it has to provide an advantage of some sort. Inbreeding because of less genetic variation in a wild population would still require it to have some positive feedback in the first place to concentrate the trait within the select group to make it available. Are you suggesting a new unknown mechanism hidden within the genetic protocol that responds to environmental stresses, producing these anomalies.

[Moontanman]

 

 

For it to be driven by natural selection it has to provide an advantage of some sort. Inbreeding because of less genetic variation in a wild population would still require it to have some positive feedback in the first place to concentrate the trait within the select group to make it available. Are you suggesting a new unknown mechanism hidden within the genetic protocol that responds to environmental stresses, producing these anomalies.

 

 

In a way yes, I am asserting that, when you want to, for instance, breed dogs, you apply artificial selection intentionally to slowly change or maintain the breed over time.

 

Elephants with smaller tuscs live longer than those with big tuscs do to human intervention, not to change the tusc size but it does have that effect.

 

Once you cut a gene pool back inbreeding is more likely and genes for odd colors are more likely to be expressed.

 

Then there is the problem of recreational fishes getting smaller and smaller, breeding earlier, the idea of keeping the big ones and letting the little ones go has had a real effect, in some places the laws are changing so the big fish will have to thrown back...

[Anthony Morris]

 

 

For it to be driven by natural selection it has to provide an advantage of some sort. Inbreeding because of less genetic variation in a wild population would still require it to have some positive feedback in the first place to concentrate the trait within the select group to make it available. Are you suggesting a new unknown mechanism hidden within the genetic protocol that responds to environmental stresses, producing these anomalies.

Over a short period of time a deleterious trait can actually spread even though it harms the individuals. In many places now, predators have been reduced in numbers. This may enable an albino to survive longer and to reproduce. Over time, if predators return then the population will be selected depending on what is left. If all of them have albinism (for instance) they will need to adapt or they will die out.

 

 

In a way yes, I am asserting that, when you want to, for instance, breed dogs, you apply artificial selection intentionally to slowly change or maintain the breed over time.

 

Elephants with smaller tuscs live longer than those with big tuscs do to human intervention, not to change the tusc size but it does have that effect.

 

Once you cut a gene pool back inbreeding is more likely and genes for odd colors are more likely to be expressed.

 

Then there is the problem of recreational fishes getting smaller and smaller, breeding earlier, the idea of keeping the big ones and letting the little ones go has had a real effect, in some places the laws are changing so the big fish will have to thrown back...

I've read about this. The first time I read an article about changing the laws regarding specimen size, I thought "well, of course." Unfortunately some don't believe in this thing called evolution. And some don't care.

[Roamer]

 

 

White, would be a doubtful way to conceal yourself in a non white environment, it might work in the Arctic but albinism is widely considered a problem for any animal in the wild...

 

It wouldn't be about being unseen by predators, but rather unrecognised.

Also not so much an attempt to survive but more a desperate gamble to survive.

[Harold Squared]

You are asking if the rate of mutation has increased, correct? What baseline are you comparing the alleged increase to?

 

As for "desperation", this is a human emotion, common to married males of the species. "Gambling" is human behavior often exhibited but by no means confined to such males.

[Moontanman]

You are asking if the rate of mutation has increased, correct? What baseline are you comparing the alleged increase to?

 

As for "desperation", this is a human emotion, common to married males of the species. "Gambling" is human behavior often exhibited but by no means confined to such males.

 

 

No, the rate of mutation hasn't increased it's recessive genes being expressed due to inbreeding of small populations, also many deer hunters, especially if the own the land they are hunting on are less inclined to shoot odd colored deer. I've talked to several land owners who feel this way.