Page 56 - The Sloughi Review - Issue 9
P. 56
T H E S L O U G H I R E V I E W 5 6
Thoughts on genetics ... From a genetic point of view, the
breeding dogs that meet such specifications
A few more basic thoughts on genetics. can be compared to the people on the
island from chapter 5 (of the book), which
These considerations seem important to us no one leaves and on which no one new
for the breeding of Sloughis. arrives.
Bryan Sykes is a geneticist and has given Once the dogs are on the island, they are
some ideas in his book (43). Here are a few completely cut off from all other dogs. They
excerpts:
can only reproduce among themselves, and
this is the perfect scenario for inbreeding.
".. Darwin recognised, however, that selection
does not always take place 'naturally'. There Inbreeding can cause strange things to
is also artificial selection... happen in any species that we can only
understand if we look at the biological
Some other breeds, however, definitely have basis.
their origins in 'nature's games', which would
certainly not survive long in the wild.
A harmful mutation in a gene on one of the
chromosomes is usually compensated for
The short legs of the Dachshund, the by the normal, functional gene on the other
extravagant coat of the Komondor, the chromosome (1 chromosome each from
compressed face of the French Bulldog: they father and mother) of the respective pair.
all originated from caprices of nature.
Darwin did not yet know about genes or DNA, If, however, the 'normal' chromosome
which were only discovered many years later.
cannot compensate for the mutant's error,
a genetically caused disease will appear in
But 'natural games' and natural variations the individual, and the probability of this
ultimately go back to genetic changes. The individual reproducing will almost always
two are not fundamentally different. Only in decrease. (45).
reproduction is there a difference: 'natural
games' can only survive with the help of
humans, naturally occurring variants can
survive without them. (44).
