Species defined as reproductively compatible and recognising each other as potential mates? Not gonna happen unless the selection is rather down rabbit flea lines (rabbit fleas have a large number of distinct species, that are not reproductively compatible - Rabbit fleas genetalia have a lot in common with keys and locks. The wrong species doesn't 'fit'. The bizarre things you learn as a biologist) On the other hand 'species' is a pretty nebulous thing -even genetically. There is a delightful little fish _Pseudocrenilabrus philander_ (that proves the old adage - the smaller and less relevant you are, the bigger your name) - which occurs in isolated waterbodies across southern africa. Mate recognition is behavioural and involves display of colors. It occurs in an almost closed semi-circular distribution, and there is a great deal of variation beween the ends of the spectrum. The ends of the spectrum will not choose to mate with each other... but their neighbor-ppulations - from the nearest discrete waterbody... eagerly. At this stage we can still see that they are one species. But you can see how splitting would occur. Yet genetically they are compatiple and interfertile.
Contrary to popular perception both males and females have certian advantages to unfaithfulness in any species - like ours - that exibits a high level of both male and female investment in childcare. The ideal for a male is sowing some wild oats, because his energy expenditure in this is low. In good times them female may even manage to rear a few offspring without him, and he can spread himself around. Of course in tough times mummy and fatherless child are toast. Only a high level of parental investment by both parents will keep little 'un alive to breed. And daddy has the problem that if he wasn't actually the father, he's spending a lot of energy not keeping his own genes alive. So hence it is a lot more important to males to try to assure that they're not raising a cuckoo. On the other hand, no matter if she's got faithful Freddy and five other boyfriends on the side, mother has NO doubt that the kid is 50% her genes. And so long as faithful freddy never finds out, genetic variability means her kids are more likely to survive. So: males are favored to stray when times are good, or if they can get some other poor male bastard to do the child rearing of their kid. Females have a benefit at any stage, but have to be pretty secretive about it;-). Let no one kid you that it a purely male trait.
So let's assume that this society of which you speak is not frozen sperm by post... people will cheat. And if it is frozen sperm by post... then the species created will - unless they go in for some interesting modification, be interfertile and may breed together later. If a sausage dog and a great dane can still get it together, anthing can.
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Date: 2008-05-06 07:19 pm (UTC)Species defined as reproductively compatible and recognising each other as potential mates? Not gonna happen unless the selection is rather down rabbit flea lines (rabbit fleas have a large number of distinct species, that are not reproductively compatible - Rabbit fleas genetalia have a lot in common with keys and locks. The wrong species doesn't 'fit'. The bizarre things you learn as a biologist) On the other hand 'species' is a pretty nebulous thing -even genetically. There is a delightful little fish _Pseudocrenilabrus philander_ (that proves the old adage - the smaller and less relevant you are, the bigger your name) - which occurs in isolated waterbodies across southern africa. Mate recognition is behavioural and involves display of colors. It occurs in an almost closed semi-circular distribution, and there is a great deal of variation beween the ends of the spectrum. The ends of the spectrum will not choose to mate with each other... but their neighbor-ppulations - from the nearest discrete waterbody... eagerly. At this stage we can still see that they are one species. But you can see how splitting would occur. Yet genetically they are compatiple and interfertile.
Contrary to popular perception both males and females have certian advantages to unfaithfulness in any species - like ours - that exibits a high level of both male and female investment in childcare. The ideal for a male is sowing some wild oats, because his energy expenditure in this is low. In good times them female may even manage to rear a few offspring without him, and he can spread himself around. Of course in tough times mummy and fatherless child are toast. Only a high level of parental investment by both parents will keep little 'un alive to breed. And daddy has the problem that if he wasn't actually the father, he's spending a lot of energy not keeping his own genes alive. So hence it is a lot more important to males to try to assure that they're not raising a cuckoo. On the other hand, no matter if she's got faithful Freddy and five other boyfriends on the side, mother has NO doubt that the kid is 50% her genes. And so long as faithful freddy never finds out, genetic variability means her kids are more likely to survive. So: males are favored to stray when times are good, or if they can get some other poor male bastard to do the child rearing of their kid. Females have a benefit at any stage, but have to be pretty secretive about it;-). Let no one kid you that it a purely male trait.
So let's assume that this society of which you speak is not frozen sperm by post... people will cheat. And if it is frozen sperm by post... then the species created will - unless they go in for some interesting modification, be interfertile and may breed together later. If a sausage dog and a great dane can still get it together, anthing can.