Can a new species emerge?

[527468]

Can a new species emerge in today's age, not (a) showing itself for the first time, but (b) coming into existence for the first time, branching off an older species, and how long would it take?

I'm asking this out of fear. My cat and dog have been getting awfully close.

 

[Amargith]

Unlikely. Their spawn would be sterile if at all viable. Just let them have fun.

 

[cascadeco]

I'm asking this out of fear. My cat and dog have been getting awfully close.

In the interest of answering this question seriously....

I think in a short time frame - i.e. years or decades - the notion of a Species, and what constitutes it, can be hazy indeed.

One of my interests is birding - and taxonomists seem to go back and forth between creating more subspecies, and then eventually splitting subspecies off into brand new species, vs. those on the other side of the fence lumping subspecies together into one. I think this is just what happens on such a small time scale. Fuzziness. And, disagreement on the very definition/notion of what a species is. But it's interesting to consider that subspecies could be the start of a branch of what would eventually become a new species --- after a long period of time.

I mean, even on a large time scale, evolution can be kind of fuzzy -- just a constant progression. I think it's when you have geographic isolation that it can be more obvious.

New species emerging in our lifespan? Would have to be a lifeform with a really, really short lifespan - minutes, maybe. Bacterium, insects, or the like.

 

[Poser]

I think that this would be a good time to reinforce my commitment to rid the world of Manbearpig.

 

[cascadeco]

I think that this would be a good time to reinforce my commitment to rid the world of Manbearpig.

Manbearpig is indeed a threat to the stability of our society.

 

[Oberon]

One useful metric in the defining of a species is cross-fertility. If two individual animals cannot produce offspring due to genetic incompatibility, then it's safe to say that they are not the same species. If they can produce offspring but the offspring are not fertile, the result is a "mule," and again the parents are not the same species. However, if the two animals can breed and produce fertile offspring, they are the same species.

Taxonomists may quibble over this definition and they're welcome to, for taxonomic definitions of speciation serve their own purposes and don't really apply to this particular question.

I would say then, that if you can successfully breed two healthy individual animals from a common ancestor and the two individual animals are not cross-fertile, but they are both fertile with other genetically compatible individuals, it's safe to say that you have observed the emergence of a new species.

Has this been observed experimentally? Not to my knowledge.

Could it be? Hard to say. It deserves investigation.

 

[Quinlan]

Can a Chihuahua and a St Bernard make puppies?

 

[Oberon]

Can a Chihuahua and a St Bernard make puppies?

Yes. You can artificially inseminate a St. Bernard female with Chihuahua sperm and get puppies.

The proposition wasn't one of taxonomic differences, but of genetic compatibility. Which you already knew.

 

[Quinlan]

I wonder what those puppies would look like.

 

[JAVO]

I'm asking this out of fear. My cat and dog have been getting awfully close.

Do not fear. Dogs often attempt to produce offspring with everything, including lampposts, couches, and hot water tanks. Put away your Darwin books, and go get a pot of cold water instead.

 

[527468]

Do not fear. Dogs often attempt to produce offspring with everything, including lampposts, couches, and hot water tanks. Put away your Darwin books, and go get a pot of cold water instead.

I tried that. I think it just made their nipples harder, which you know...

 

[BlackCat]

LOL lemons.

 

[527468]

LOL lemons.

There's at least 14 nipples there!

 

[Blackmail!]

Has this been observed experimentally? Not to my knowledge.

Yes it has.

With fruit flies (Drosophila pseudoobscura). Under extreme environmental pressure (simulated within a laboratory), the interfertility between the surviving population and the main specie severely decreases only after a dozen generations (see Diane Dodd experiment for instance).

So the speciation process can be very fast if needed.

 

[nanook]

how about a selfaware killer virus or something?

 

[Mort Belfry]

Yes. You can artificially inseminate a St. Bernard female with Chihuahua sperm and get puppies.

But a Chihuahua with St.Bernard sperm, is that just sadism?

 

[527468]

But a Chihuahua with St.Bernard sperm, is that just sadism?

It works rather well. Soon enough the Chinard gives birth to it's lucky mother.

 

[Oberon]

Yes it has.

With fruit flies (Drosophila pseudoobscura). Under extreme environmental pressure (simulated within a laboratory), the fertility between the surviving population and the the main specie severely decreases only after a dozen generations (see Diane Dodd experiment for instance).

Really?

I hadn't heard of this. The new bugs must not have been fruit flies.

What did they name the new species, now that it was no longer Drosophila pseudoobscura?

 

[Oberon]

But a Chihuahua with St.Bernard sperm, is that just sadism?

It's a dead bitch and pups, if gestation is allowed to progress.

 

[wildcat]

You watch a movie and you stop when you find something interesting.
Is there a stop in the movie?