Just saw this article in today's Herald http://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10689619
saying that the cross-breeding of Mauis with Hectors dolphins could save it, and thought about the blog about stilts and cross-breeding being a worry. So it made me wonder about when is cross-breeding OK and when is it a problem?
Forest & Bird » Other
Cross-breeding - when is it OK?
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Posted 1 year ago #
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Hi Anne. It's Tammy Steeves here (the author of the stilt research that you were referring to). This is a great question.
From a conservation perspective, hybridisation is okay when it's natural (not human-induced) but problematic when it's unnatural (human-induced).
In other words, hybridisation often occurs in nature, especially between closely related subspecies when they come into contact with one another. This is likely what is happening between Maui's and Hector's dolphins. And may bode well for Maui's dolphins.
In contrast, when hybridisation occurs between threatened native species and non-native species introduced directly or indirectly introduced by humans (as is the case for kaki and poaka) it may not bode well for the threatened native species.
Hope that helps!
Posted 1 year ago # -
It does indeed. Thank you Tammy.
Posted 1 year ago #
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