BigGameHoundsmen.com

Dan Edwards wrote:Scott, great posts. You can buy me a beer next year.

Larry, you remind me of them know it all bitches that dont roach their mules.

Dads dogboy wrote:Uphilldoc,

Very thoughtful and informative Posts!

Performance is the main factor in determining which Hounds get to reproduce in Dads program as obviously they are all related and from the same program( He has been evaluating an Outcross either Running Walker or some other breed for the past 5 years and has yet to find what he feels is something that he is willing to invest 5 years in proving right or wrong)

A Male has to be past 4 and have earned the Catdog title before being considered as a Stud. With the Females Dad studies their early performance, their sibs performance, any weakness in their structure, and overall Tailline performance before determining which ones to go forward with!

The decision as to which Male to which Female is something that is very hard for Dad to quantify or for him to put into words. There are some subjective things that he sees that boy I sometimes can't.....but thats why I am just the Dogboy!

I sure hope that folkes who are truly interested in this subject will go back and reread "Whites" Chase Magazine article on In/Line Breeding.

Sure wish Folks could stay focused on the topic, with as much consideration for it as you have shown.

Wish some folks would take the jibs to the PM's!

JMO

CJC

Ike wrote:http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1454


Does our genetic make up determine who we become?
Submitted by asavannah on Wed, 11/14/2007 - 12:39am

* Biology 103 Web Paper 2
* biology

Have you ever wondered where you get your physical or behavioral traits from? Well I have and I decided to do more research on this topic which is what this paper would be about. I am going to discuss the difference between nature versus nurture and whether one or the other has a greater impact on the way an individual behaves. This topic also became of interest to me when I decided to focus more on the study of identical twins who have the same genetic make up but not necessarily the same interests.
The idea of nature versus nurture has been puzzling to scientists for a very long time. “Nature” the idea that was viewed by most people in the beginning of the twentieth century, states that a person’s behavior comes from their genetic traits and that the environment has absolutely no affect on their life. “Nurture” on the other hand is the idea that a person will develop their behavior from outside environmental factors and not necessarily from genetics.
The study of nature versus nurture is usually tested on identical twins. Identical twins are also called monozygotic twins; which means that they derived from the fertilization of one egg by a single sperm which then created a zygote that was split into two embryos. These two embryos now share the same genetic material. It is important to know that just because the monozygotic twins have the same genetic make up, that one should not automatically assume they are exactly the same when it comes to their personality.
For example, in my immediate family, we have a set of 5-year-old identical twin boys, who look very much alike with minor differences and have totally different personalities; one being very outgoing, talkative, and active, while the other is more timid, quiet, and reserved. They also have different physical traits for example one is taller than the other. From observing my nephews I noticed that some of similarities they have are their physical features; they are both also very inquisitive and have a zeal for learning.
I believe that their differences come from their environment. Even though they live in the same household they have been placed into separate classes at school which means they are learning different material in different ways. Many schools actually encourage that twins be placed in separate classrooms so that they can form their own identities. They also have very different interests; one is very interested in dinosaurs while the other enjoys learning about the solar system. While they are still pretty interested in what the other likes, they will both return back to their original interest.
For the nature versus nurture test for the identical twins that do not live in the same household because they were probably split at birth may have a great difference in personality. If one twin was reared in a household that eats meat products, follows a certain type of religion, and is involved in numerous amounts of school activities; this child would have different views of life compared to the other twin, who may be a vegan, may follow some other religion, and does not take part in school activities. This example proves that the environment in which a person lives has a great impact on their personality.
This study of a set of identical twins that were separated during birth or raised in different households has not always had the same results. Sometimes they find that the set of twins indeed have similar personalities, occupations, interests, and mannerisms even thought they were brought up separately. This study goes on to prove that genetics does still play a significant role in the traits that are possessed by a particular individual.
The idea of certain genes being switched on or off due to particular environmental influences is called epigenetic modification. This means that monozygotic twins who share the same DNA can possibly be very similar or different due to the impact their environment has on their lives.
A study that was conducted with twins ranging from ages of 3 to 74 showed that the youngest twins have fewer epigenetic differences. This could be due to the fact that the children do not have much life experience and that they possibly follow what the other twin does. The test also proved identical twins that increased in age had a greater epigenetic difference; this is due to the different exposure each receives to a variety of things in life. The study also showed that twins who were raised separately had the greatest difference. But with age they also found that characteristics such as IQ became more alike as twins got older which then again proves that genetics still has a lot of influence.
From the research I did on this topic I found that neither nature nor nurture has more influence over the other but instead they work together. As we can see from the studies done on this topic, identical twins who share the same genetic make up are not exactly the same or totally different. They may share some traits and not others and now we know that we cannot completely rule out the idea of genetics or environmental influences because they are both equally important to our physical and behavioral traits.

UphillDoc wrote:Succesful breeding is based on proper selection. If you want superior performance animals, that selection must be based on their performance. Genetics is a tricky thing, mostly in that it fools so many people into thinking they can achieve goals by following a set pattern. If you dont select the proper performing animals the science wont mean much in the end, in fact it may set you back farther/faster than if you had just bred two random animals together. On the other hand, breeding with no direction is almost as foolish, and rarely gets folks where they want to go.
How many of the old time breeders had even a basic knowledge of genetics? Most probably had no idea what an outcross vs inbreeding even was, BUT you can almost bet that those that were able to maintain a solid family were inbreeding, BUT not because it was inbreeding, (as so many do today), but rather because the animals that fit their criteria performed in a way that they wanted, and just happened to be related. Too many folks think they are the next genetic whiz kid, and spout their theories as if its a certainty they will work... If it was as easy as put A to B then back to A etc...we would all have superior animals. Too many hunters have a good dog that they have no idea of its genetics. They breed it to their friends best dog and are shocked when the pups are not as good as either one.
Sometimes folks get lucky inspite of how they breed, rather than because of how they breed. Some folks never own a cull, because they wouldnt recognise one if it was biting them. Some folks are never happy with what they have, because they dont really even know what they want. Sometimes when folks change the subject and go to name calling its because they have already said all they know about subject and cant stand to not be in the conversation. Some folks believe the first thing they ever heard on a subject, and will recite it over and over without ever questioning what they were first told.
Every man has something to teach you...it may be what to do, it may be what not to do, figuring it out is the hard part...

Take care.