Showlines and Workinglines are Genetically Different - Interesting Study - Page 5

The Fox Terrier came in both a smooth coat and a wirehaired coat and were considered the same breed for many years. The Wirehaired Fox Terrier was bred by crossing in the rough coated black and tan terrier, for use in rough country, its coat being less vulnerable to damage than that of the Smooth Fox Terrier."

Looks like breeders outcrossed to improve on the wire coat thus creating a different breed?

Ibrahim, yes it does. Phenotype (the appearance of an organism) is the visible expression of its genotype. As you know, not all genes are expressed. Some are recessive and remain hidden, uless two alleles for the same characteristic are present. Others may be turned off, as mentioned above, by the presence of other genes.

What you need to understand is genotype is NOT fixed within a species. Over time, genes mutatate. The frequency of genes also changes due to natural selection. This would likely be the main factor in the changes in the human genome, as the world we live in is far different from the one our ancestors inhabited. Migration between populations of the species also affects gene frequency, as each population is slightly different genetically.

So, a dog breed can change both phenotypically and genetically WITHOUT any outside genes being added from another breed. You only have to look at the vast difference in appearance between the early dogs and today's dogs to see that.

Heck, look at how the smooth and wire are parallel through the years. It was allowed to breed a wire and smooth, and register the litter. So they carried the same blood lines. What ever was 'crossed' with the wire, was also in the smooth. That (any crossing) had to happen during the development of the breed. My smooth female had wires in her ped. Look at "The Complete Fox Terrier" by Evelyn Silvernail. The breed was recognized by AKC in 1885, and didn't become two separate breeds til a hundred years later.

IMO (as a biology teacher who just taught 6 chapters of genetics in AP bio), the paper was poorly written, the sample size was too small, and there just isn't enough data.  I'm not impressed by the study.   In organisms that sexually reproduce, genetic variation is the result of a recombination of existing alleles in the gene pool.   

Would we really want the AKC and the SV to support the research necessary to prove or disprove the notion that WL's and SL's are "genetically different" ?

I don't think proving genetic difference is how splitting breeds is decided. The breed clubs do it, without scientific research.

Thank you for contributing to the discussion, everyone.

I agree that the researchers have a lot more work to do before their studies can be taken completely seriously, however I do still think that it is a very real possibility, for many of the reasons already stated here. Collies can be another example. There are smooth and rough coated collies that are shown seperately, however I believe they can still be bred together (or at one point they could be) and that you can get either from a litter.

I'm a believer too, in ONE BREED. I like a dog that looks good AND can work in many different venues, and while I prefer the workinglines, I wouldn't be against getting a showline, if it had what I was looking for.

Yes, the two collies are varieties, as were the different terriers mentioned until designated as separate breeds. Varieties can be crossed with each other, like bull terrier varieties and cockers ( except English and American went from variety to separate breeds, because of distinct differences).

Sunsilver...STOP making sense.....nobody what to hear reason...let people enjoy their enlightenment!

Fixed portions of a breed's genome will remain fixed as long as the breeding population remains closed (barring mutation).  Is that correct? Have the "fixed portions" of the GSD's genome been identified?