Date of Award
5-1968
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Biological Sciences
First Advisor
Rezneat M. Darnell
Second Advisor
Peter Abramoff
Third Advisor
William F. Millington
Fourth Advisor
Ellen M. Rasch
Fifth Advisor
George A. Marzluf
Abstract
Genetic mechanisms of evolution have been extensively analyzed and discussed from a theoretical point of view for the past four decades. Experimental plant taxonomists have extensively analyzed the genetic relationships of an assortment of natural populations of plants. Except for a few animal groups, such as insects and snails, very little is known about the evolutionary mechanisms in natural populations of animals. This is especially true for most vertebrates. The difficulty arises in attempting to obtain genetic information in wild animal species without a previously established breeding analysis. Furthermore, the paucity of known marker genes makes it difficult to follow the dynamics of natural populations. Since there is a lack of knowledge of the actual genetic basis for the morphological differences and distribution patterns that have been described for various species, the genetic and speciational phenomena can only be implied. There is a need for more direct methods. such as at the cytological and biochemical level, to arrive at systematic conclusions.