Dear all, Please keep up the fascinating discussion of genetics/virus/asexual propagation. I am learning a lot. I wonder if both "clonal breakdown" and certain symptoms usually attributed to "virus" are not the result of an accumulation of transposons (and other nucleic hijinks) in the absence of sexual reproduction? Best, Max Withers PS: Although turkeys are not yet produced from tissue culture, the commercial breeds are incapable of sexual reproduction without human intervention. See the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy site: http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/turkdefinition.html > Message: 7 > Date: Mon, 01 Jan 1990 03:08:44 -0800 > From: John Bryan <johnbryan@worldnet.att.net> > Subject: [pbs] Clonal breakdown > To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > Message-ID: <259F3A3C.2871B91C@worldnet.att.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > .... > Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving to all I hope your turkeys are tasty, and > good eating and would there be clonal breakdown in such birds brought > about by inbreeding?