Re: DBT Colors and genetics
Rick, Most of the info has come from several years of personal observations and some reading. I have read just about all articles and books on turtles I have come across. There is not much documented evidence on color variation in population genetics for turtles. Classical species for selection like a moth in Europe, drosophila sp?, and any thing from the galapogos islands are typically what you find when you look into natural population genetics. Personal communications with a few professors and many of their associates on related issues has been very helpful. A bit of undergraduate and graduate courses dealing withthese subjects has not hurt either. I don’t know much about the RES genetics. Albino traits have been mapped and seem to be similar across most animals I think. It is just the classical dominant/recessive deal. I have found yellow bellies in a natural habitat that would have been called pastel by some. Double scutes seem to also follow the aberant colorations. This would lead me in the direction that temperature stress on a developing embryo may also cause the colors to an extent. Some of the colors of the extreme pastels is also probably genetic. It is probably recessive and may be codominant and there are just very few allels in existance. It may have been selected against and is diminishing or it could be just a freak morph that is an inheritable trait. I don’t know why a RES has a red bar and the T. s. troosti doesn’t. THe red stripe on a C. picta dorsalis may be easier to explain. I might get fired upon if I discuss others than Malaclemys any further. x)- Scott — In diamondbackterrapins@egroups.com, greentrees