polecats

[Sighthound 49]

True again albinism is a pretty simple mutation but that surely proves my point, at one time all ferrets were pure polecat Mendles theory would never had predicted albinism. His theory would predict pure polecat all the time it does not take into account mutation etc.

[droid 11]

Maybe not, but many mutations follow Mendelian principles, like albinism in most species, Multiple Sclerosis, Huntingdon's Chorea, etc etc.

[Sighthound 49]

Maybe not, but many mutations follow Mendelian principles, like albinism in most species, Multiple Sclerosis, Huntingdon's Chorea, etc etc.

 

I'm really not dismissing Mendels theory indeed as you know it's the corner stone of modern genetics, I guess all that I'm saying is that it's far more comlicated than that I bet he could never had predicted this

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/4365002.stm

 

notice here that colouring seems also to be linked with aggression

[droid 11]

Mendel tried to explain simple monohybrid crosses.

He was never about predicting mutations, which by their nature are pretty random.

 

 

Your link referred to Kate Middleton. Nostradamus missed that one too.....

[Sighthound 49]

Mendel tried to explain simple monohybrid crosses.

He was never about predicting mutations, which by their nature are pretty random.

 

 

Your link referred to Kate Middleton. Nostradamus missed that one too.....

 

 

LOL ...Ive changed it........Nostradamus well thats a subject

[droid 11]

notice here that colouring seems also to be linked with aggression

 

That might be coincidence.

I realise that polecats are more aggressive than ferrets, but that's because polecats are wild animals, ferrets are domesticated.

[Crow 1]

As I've said before Crow the genetics you are using are simple Mendelian genetics

Mendelian Genetics is generally considered to be the research that is used in today's genetics isn't it?

 

It is quite possible that mating Pa to Pa will result in the whole litter being PP or even all albino

Absolutely, that is why I keep on stressing 'mathematically'. As I've said before, maths and nature don't work hand in hand and there comes a point when 'probability' and 'mathematical chance' are at loggerheads.

 

Remember that at one time ALL ferrets were pure polecat ( ie wild), so if we accept that then we must accept thay were obviously all PP so in that case using Mendelian genetics we could never get albinos, sivers, etc.

Albinos and silvers probably existed in the polecat long before domestication, the problem is that in the wild 'freaks' such as albinos (and silvers) don't last very long as not only is nature against them (the polecat is the colour it is for a reason) but everthing else is too - including man. However, in domestication when the first albinos appeared they would have undoubtedly been bred from to a great extent, simply because they were different. It's now happening with silvers, bews and the whole host of shades in between.

 

Besides, whether or not they were around years ago or have recently arrived I can see no reason why Mendelian principles can't be used with regards ferret colours; the hard part is finding out whether the alleles (either mutated or not) have a dominanant or reccessive pattern of inheritance.

 

Of course, this all relies on the fact that the ferret colour is dictated by just the two alleles and as yet the scientific research say it is

 

As for silvers, bews, etc you are quite right when you say:

The reason we do [get them] is gene mutation - now thats a whole new subject

 

It's not only a whole new subject, but (to me) a fascinating one hence why I am doing my own research. Maybe this information is out there somewhere but I cannot find anything specific relating to inheritence of mutated genes in relation to coat colour (although there is some good research into the inheritence of the mutated genes in relation to Waardenburgs).

 

I saw somewhere on a hunting forum genetics described as not being rocket science. They are right, genetics is far more complicated

 

Crow

[Sighthound 49]

I saw somewhere on a hunting forum genetics described as not being rocket science. They are right, genetics is far more complicated

 

Crow

 

I certainly agree with that.