ewest - Yes, CNBG and BG are the same species and each type (variant) is a regional or climate variant. I don't think or know if a species variant qualifies as a technical subspecies or variety, or form for our discussion of CNBG and pure BG???? . At this point I do not know if genetic molecular testing ( genetic sequencing) has distinguished the technical differences of a subspecies, a variant and a form. All 3 of these names could be just 'old school' taxonomic categories (see below) that I am familiar with. My question was, has anyone seen how the offspring perform of the genetic crossing of southern warmer water adapted CNBG X regular cold water tolerant strain BG?? . Are there any studies or experiences of using these two "types" or "forms" of BG together in the same pond that produce several generations of combining both BG types in a pond? These offspring BG could be somewhat similar to and perform similar to features of the F1 largemouth of (Northern X Florida LMB)?
I will see if I can find info about the terms variant, subspecies and variety.
Advanced Reading Learning (not for the casual reader - LOL).
In biological terms, a polytypic species has two or more genetically and phenotypically divergent subspecies, races, or more generally speaking, populations that differ from each other so that a separate description or label is warranted. These distinct groups do not interbreed as they are isolated from another, but they can interbreed and have fertile offspring, e.g. in captivity. These subspecies, races, or populations, are usually described and named by zoologists, botanists and microbiologists.
Biology – Variation or variant - refers to the differences or deviations from the recognized norm or standard. It may be a modification in structure, form or function in an organism deviating from other organisms of the same species or group.
Subspecies - is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed.
Species Variant (variation) - any difference between individual organisms, or groups of organisms of any species caused either by genetic differences (geneotypic variation) or by the effect of environmental factors on the expression of the genetic potentials (phenotypic variation).
Form - Some zoologists use the word "form" or "forma" to describe variation in animals. Forms have no official status, though they are sometimes useful in describing altitudinal or geographical clines.
Race - in biology and ecology a race is a localized form that has evolved characteristics as a result of the selective effect of a specific environment.
Clines - A cline refers to a spatial gradient in a specific, singular trait, rather than a collection of traits; a single population can therefore have as many clines as it has traits, at least in principle. Additionally, Huxley recognized that these multiple independent clines may not act in concordance with each other. For example, it has been observed that in Australia, birds generally become smaller the further towards the north of the country they are found. In contrast, the intensity of their plumage coloration follows a different geographical trajectory, being most vibrant where humidity is highest and becoming less vibrant further into the arid center of the country. Because of this, clines were defined by Huxley as being an "auxiliary taxonomic principle"; that is, clinal variation in a species is not awarded taxonomic recognition in the way species or subspecies are.
While the terms "ecotype" and "cline" are sometimes used interchangeably, they do in fact differ in that "ecotype" refers to a population which differs from other populations in a number of characters, rather than the single character that varies amongst populations in a cline.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 09/23/22 09:17 PM.
