col·lo·qui·al
(of language) used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary.
A language adapts to the needs of its users. We all experience language differently as we interact with those around us. Sometimes a subset of people start using a new word or words differently and it can become part of their identity. Genetic Drift has been appropriated to describe a phenomenon where a clone breaks down over time, becoming less healthy, less potent, and lower yielding. The characteristics of the clone drifts from what it once was to something reduced. Now only in memory can we remember its former glory, a wistful longing.
Genetic Drift also has another meaning, one recognized as the scientific definition:
The variation in the relative frequency of different genotypes in a small population, owning the chance disappearance of a particular genes as individuals die or do not reproduce.
We normally think of survival of the fittest as the rule of thumb. This is the concept that a plant has characteristics that make it better able to pass on its genes to the next population so it produces offspring at a higher frequency. But raw chance can also be a factor, especially with small populations. For example, let’s say we have a bag of 100 seeds and 50% are purple phenos. Now the dog eats 75 seeds. Randomly, since the purple seeds do not taste any different, the dog eats most of the purple pheno seeds. When we pop the remaining 25 seeds 90% are green and 10% are purple. The green phenos were not any better they just got lucky and now they make up more of the population.
This puts the word Genetic Drift in a bit of a pickle. To one group it has one meaning and to another, it means something different. But a clone deteriorating over time is an observable phenomenon that is generally recognized to be true.
How is this occurrence described in the scientific community?
It is described as the modification of gene expression rather than a change in the genetic code itself. Epigenetics studies how a plant changes its gene expression in response to stimuli such as cold, predation, and drought. The plant will express different genes in response to stimuli. Now the question remains, once a plant has experienced insect predation, drought, or any stress in general, can it be returned to its former state before the stress changed it?
This article was written by valkyrie_onhigh.
