University of Bristol scientists DNA test unique tree

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8620000/8620605.stm

Key Ideas:

• Scientists from the University of Bristol have used genetics to explain the evolution of a unique tree species that is only found in Avon Gorge.
• By studying the trees' DNA, the Professor Hiscox and his team showed that these trees are cross-breeding with each other, and these hybrids reproduce asexually, in an ongoing process that adds to the diversity of Sorbus trees found in the gorge.
• Professor Hiscock said: "The Sorbus tree breeding system plays a critical role in determining the likelihood of their long-term survival."
• Their findings are helping to guide the work of Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project and the National Trust to aid the conservation of these rare species.
• The identification and preservation of such dynamic evolutionary processes will be essential for maintaining biodiversity.

Reflection:

This article was about the Sorbus tree that produces asexually. It is only found in one city in Britain which it pretty cool. These trees cross-breed with each other, and these hybrids then reproduce asexually to create diversity. It seems as if these trees are altering the evolutionary process to adapt to their environmental conditions. By altering the evolutionary process, this species of tree manages to survive in one environment that goes unchanging most of the time. I find that interesting because all other organisms have to adapt to their surroundings while this one does not. This course helped me to understand this topic because we studied DNA in the genetics unit and evolution.

MLA: "BBC - University of Bristol Scientists DNA Test Unique Tree." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. Bristol University, 14 Apr. 2010. Web. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8620000/8620605.stm.