From: Peter Dillon <pdillon@club-internet.fr>
Date: Wed, 09 Jan 2002 00:21:03 +0000
To: BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: cell size measurement (Size of Queens)

I am following the discussion relating to cell size measurement with
much care - but cannot comment due to total lack of experience in this
field for the moment!
Evenso, certain times a comment that crops up has to be commented upon,
and one such has arrived via. Dee responding to Allen Dick.

Allen asks:
"then how can queens raised by small comb bees differ from queens
raised by bees on large comb?"

Dee suggests:
"Then doesn't the genetics change slightly with each mating as the
small more variable pulls the big artificial less variable apart to
acclimatize ?"

This last comment made by Dee, I do not agree to.
It is based on thoughts produced by the evolutionist - J-B LAMARCK
presented in 1809.
He suggested that evolution could be achieved by the Transmission of
acquired characters.
i.e Physical morphological changes occurring in one generation will be
passed on to the next generation.

It has been shown that changes in genotype change phenotype and not the
other way round.
The gene composition (genotype) will express itself as physical
characters (phenotype).
Other factors such as environmental conditions will also shape the
resulting organism. BUT the final resulting form will not DIRECTLY
affect the gene components.
This said, if the phenotype shows characters (due to slight genetic
change - Mutation) that give an individual an advantage of some sort and
it is able to "outdo" other individuals of the same species, then the
mutation will expand in the population gene pool.
Peter