Gene swapping (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, October 02, 2013, 15:33 (4070 days ago)

The message in this story to me is it takes lots of mutations to change a species. As the fossil recerd shows species are very fixed, when they first appear and don't change much before they disappear.-"The frequent exchange of genes coupled with the extremely slow growth of the bacteria—which divide, on average, a mere six times per year—could be expected to homogenize Deep Lake's bacterial population, but the researchers did not find evidence that diversity had decreased. "What is also remarkable is that in addition to all the promiscuous gene swapping, the dominant members of the community retain their own identity as a species, and coexist with others, exploiting different niches without impinging on each other," wrote Cavicchioli" -http://www.the-scientist.com//?articles.view/articleNo/37742/title/Bacteria-Trade-Genes/