Evolution Requires Reduction in Genetic Diversity

Just visited Faith's blog again over at O O O That Evo-ha-looshinist Mizrabul-buh-loozyist Cantwinferlosinist Ra-ag, she has an update. She had earlier posted this: After she saw how I described how she was wrong in my Message 305 she then posted this: But obviously when she posted her original claim she didn't "know" the Wikipedia diagram contradicted her views, because as everyone who can read can see, she claimed the diagram supported her views, when of course to anyone who knows the definition of evolution it plainly does not.Also, I don't think she likes us. After complaining about the rudeness of someone who called her an idiot she goes on: Internal consistency has never been her strong point.Faith says she's trying to resist the temptation to check in here: I assume that when she checks in again she won't give us the satisfaction of letting us know on her blog, but anyway, I hope she returns to finish the discussion, this time being more forthright about where species come from in her perspective.--Percy

Faith, you're still ignoring these realities:

1. A new species cannot be created simply by selecting a subset of the alleles of an existing species. Any organism possessing only a subset of alleles of the parent species is still the same species. If this were not true then breeders would be creating new species all the time.
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2. Mutations can affect any part of the genome, and mechanisms like drift and selection control their spread through a population.

Just as in the geology discussions, as long as you ignore reality your views will remain farcically wrong.--Percy

If you're going to use the word "species" then you have to use it with the correct meaning. If you instead mean the word "breed" then you have to use the word "breed", because if you use the word "species" when you mean "breed" then you will be misunderstood. More about this later. Well, yes, theoretically you could get breeds that can't produce offspring if you're using a definition of species that requires natural reproduction (Great Danes don't breed naturally with chihuahuas, so using a definition of species that requires the ability to breed naturally one could argue they are different species), but not with the genetic definition of species. If the genomes of two different breeds differ only in their allele subsets then they'll always be genetically the same species. Breeding alone cannot produce genetically different species. Please stop using the word "species" when you mean "breed". I think everyone here agrees that mutations are rare and that viable mutations are even more rare, and yet the reality is that human beings average around 100 mutations each. It *is* a very slow rate of change, and that is why even after seven or so million years of separation the chimp and human genomes differ by only a few percentage points at most.The key point is that mutation increases diversity by producing new alleles, new genes and even new chromosomes. Mutation can also reduce diversity by eliminating genes and chromosomes. And they can remove traits, too, but to continue the key point, mutations increase diversity while mechanisms like drift and selection reduce diversity. When mutations increase diversity faster than other mechanisms remove it, diversity increases. When other mechanisms reduce diversity faster than mutations increase it, diversity decreases. Your claim that diversity is always reduced faster than it is increased has no supporting evidence. It's just something you're making up. I said I would come back to this earlier in this post. If you want to be understood then use the vocabulary properly. For example, when you want to claim that breeding creates new breeds then you must say "new breeds" and not "new species".I notice you had some trouble quoting items from a list, e.g.: What you really want it to look like is this: If you peek at my Message 332 or click on Peek Mode when replying to it you'll see this: This *does* require a little editing to maintain the appearance from the original post - you just need to add [list=2] at the front: --Percy