Re: Lets be careful

Barry Meiklejohn (fisher at ozemail.com.au)
Thu, 23 May 1996 08:18:08 +-1000

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned amongst all of this discussion re the dangers of hybridization is the natural selection processes. I know that rainbowfish congregate in schools (for protection?) and I wonder what the chances are of a male or fema

le from one species trying to attract a suitable partner from within the school of another species.

ANGFA was lucky enough to have a talk by Milton Lewis (James Cook Uni) at our Townsville convention on the processes of natural selection, and from the basics that I have managed to retain, I would have thought that cross breeding would be extremely diffi

cult (not the mechanism but the attraction of suitable partner). Even given the success of such an outcome - what would be the chances of survival of the offspring, remembering that rainbows school for protection from predation I wouldn't like to stand o

ut in a crowd.