8LegsMomWannabe
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2014
- Messages
- 41
I am starting a new thread as I do not want to completely hijack this thread.
To summarize, in response to Poec54's post about how tracing a tarantula's bloodline would be difficult if not impossible since there's so few bloodlines in a given species, sources are rarely revealed by dealers, and there's basically a ton of inbreeding in a given levies.
I brought up DNA testing, though suspected the feasibility would be rather low. Poec pretty much confirmed my suspicions as to the lack of feasibility.
So this leads me to wonder, well, I'm not quite sure how to word this. Obviously, in order for the hobby to remain, we need tarantula breeders to breed tarantulas. But, with inbreeding being pretty much inevitable, will the hobby end up suffering eventually? My (limited) understanding of genetics is that inbreeding magnifies traits in a given bloodline, Good and bad traits.
So, as tarantulas keep being bred, would I be correct in assuming that future generations will likely end up wih genetic problems? Is there just simply no way to minimize inbreeding?
My parents breed, in partnership with another breeder, German Shepherd Dogs. They're able to make sure that they are pairing unrelated dogs. I think my mom once mentioned that occasionally you'll breed two dogs who might have a common ancestor, but it's distant for both dogs and I don't think it happens often. Certainly they don't breed close relatives, definitely not siblings.
But it seems there's next to no way to make sure you're breeding unrelated T's. I think Poec mentioned in the thread I linked to that you can buy a spider Tom one state and another spider from another state with intent to breed them, and have both spiders be half siblings or even full siblings/sacmates.
So I'm left to wonder, is it as likely as it seems like it would be for genetic defects to populate a species' captive population? And if that happens, then what?
To summarize, in response to Poec54's post about how tracing a tarantula's bloodline would be difficult if not impossible since there's so few bloodlines in a given species, sources are rarely revealed by dealers, and there's basically a ton of inbreeding in a given levies.
I brought up DNA testing, though suspected the feasibility would be rather low. Poec pretty much confirmed my suspicions as to the lack of feasibility.
So this leads me to wonder, well, I'm not quite sure how to word this. Obviously, in order for the hobby to remain, we need tarantula breeders to breed tarantulas. But, with inbreeding being pretty much inevitable, will the hobby end up suffering eventually? My (limited) understanding of genetics is that inbreeding magnifies traits in a given bloodline, Good and bad traits.
So, as tarantulas keep being bred, would I be correct in assuming that future generations will likely end up wih genetic problems? Is there just simply no way to minimize inbreeding?
My parents breed, in partnership with another breeder, German Shepherd Dogs. They're able to make sure that they are pairing unrelated dogs. I think my mom once mentioned that occasionally you'll breed two dogs who might have a common ancestor, but it's distant for both dogs and I don't think it happens often. Certainly they don't breed close relatives, definitely not siblings.
But it seems there's next to no way to make sure you're breeding unrelated T's. I think Poec mentioned in the thread I linked to that you can buy a spider Tom one state and another spider from another state with intent to breed them, and have both spiders be half siblings or even full siblings/sacmates.
So I'm left to wonder, is it as likely as it seems like it would be for genetic defects to populate a species' captive population? And if that happens, then what?