342136 Sun Nov 12 19:49:51 -0800 2006 2 29 Not About Food 0 2015612 One of my favorite subjects in the world is the Columbian exchange and genetic diversity in crops. Every once in a while you will hear in the news of a new species being discovered in the jungle depths of places like Papua New Guinea and 2,000 leagues under the sea (and even freshwater shrimp in Idaho mud pools!). Are finding such as these as frequent in the agricultural world? I mean I am just boggled by the subject of legume/bean strains alone, one needs only to check out the fine Rancho Gordo website to see that. One thought that frequently crosses my mind is how fruits or vegetables have evolved due to introduction to new lands or the farmer's seed [selective] selection for the next year [and even weather, as i understand from the scoville rating of chile peppers, drought= additional heat]. The example I am interested in is that of the Kabocha squash. How close does todays kabocha squash resemble the the first brought over by Portugese traders? Did its evolution hang primarily on the adaptation of the fruit to the Japanese climate or Japanese preference in seed selection for certain desirable qualitites? Sun Nov 12 19:49:51 -0800 2006 14086 kare_raisu 1 2028073 I think that intentional selection has a far greater impact than natural selection, on the whole. Intentional selection is a fast-forwarding of nature, in some ways. Thu Nov 16 21:40:30 -0800 2006 2015612 12023 Hungry Celeste 1 2031948 Domestication usually implies a restriction of the original genepool. Further modification would be possible only if there are genetic materials from wild relatives and other traditional land races to make backcrosses. Sat Nov 18 06:37:49 -0800 2006 2015612 36661 Sam Fujisaka