Experiment converting corals to freshwater

[BigTomo003]

I think they’re all looking at it like “it’ll never work”, and though that is a likely outcome, why should someone not try??

Yes. I agree

 

[Eric1493]

Yeah, if we can clone a dang sheep or bring back an extinct animal I'm sure we can get a coral to adapt to a different habit. People aren't getting the point

The sheep you are referring to died extremely prematurely, from lung disease. And there have been no extinct animals brought back.

 

[BigTomo003]

The sheep you are referring to died extremely prematurely, from lung disease. And there have been no extinct animals brought back.

Still was born tho right? And there was an elk I'm pretty sure that was brought back I can't remember the name of it

 

[Sosuke]

Still was born tho right? And there was an elk I'm pretty sure that was brought back I can't remember the name of it

If it was born and then died young that literally proves the point that it didn't work

 

[CCauthers]

Still was born tho right?

This is like saying to someone who dumped a bunch of corals in a freshwater tank that died in 2 weeks "They were still in there for two weeks tho right?"

 

[Sharkbait19]

I think you don't understand what evolution is. Evolution is the gradual change that results in natural selection favoring a group of organisms with a specific phenotype, which has a biological advantage. Evolution is NOT something that is induced.

I know what evolution is. Of course this isn’t a “1, 2, 3” experiment, but takes time like real evolution through reproduction.

A common bio class project is to take a culture of fruit flies,put them in specific conditions, and see how they evolve next to other cultures.Those are induced experiments. Evolution stems from available resources. If you can control them, you can push evolution into certain favors.

To address your second point, you are absolutely correct. There are multiple species that fit that description, including pandas. You should have actual evidence to back up your claims before you make them.

If there are multiple species that both you and I know fit that description, why would I need to give you evidence?? This isn’t a college essay. It’s a fish forum. Humans saving endangered species is well enough known by people, I don’t need to give examples.

 

[Eric1493]

Still was born tho right? And there was an elk I'm pretty sure that was brought back I can't remember the name of it

There's a difference between the embryo of an animal that already exists being inserted into the same animal and living for less than half of its expected life under the supervision of some of the most trained scientists in the world, and someone with absolutely no scientific experience putting an organism into blatantly hostile environments with no regard for its safety and no evidence to claim that it will survive. And no. No such elk exists.

 

[CCauthers]

I think the OP needs to take more time to research and come up with a real plan, and a real hypothesis based on FACTS not guessing

 

[Eric1493]

This is like saying to someone who dumped a bunch of corals in a freshwater tank that died in 2 weeks "They were still in there for two weeks tho right?"

Lol that's not happening with this guy. He might have 3 min to claim tho.

 

[doodledreads]

So, from what you are saying, I can get some radioactive material and can become Dr. Manhattan since my cells will adopt? Well, La -Di-Da.

 

[Sharkbait19]

I think the OP needs to take more time to research and come up with a real plan, and a real hypothesis based on FACTS not guessing

All he said in the beginning is he’s doing an experiment. Maybe he’s still developing a hypothesis and that’s why he consulted this forum.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

There's a difference between the embryo of an animal that already exists being inserted into the same animal and living for less than half of its expected life under the supervision of some of the most trained scientists in the world, and someone with absolutely no scientific experience putting an organism into blatantly hostile environments with no regard for its safety and no evidence to claim that it will survive. And no. No such elk exists.

I used to be a normal human. In the last few years I've evolved a set of gills. I now can live on land or under water indefinitely. Anything is possible!

 

[92Miata]

I know what evolution is. Of course this isn’t a “1, 2, 3” experiment, but takes time like real evolution through reproduction.

If you think this "experiment" has anything to do with evolution, then you don't know what evolution is.


Again - whether or not corals could evolve to freshwater over millions of years has literally nothing to do with the OP putting a bunch of animals THAT ARE NOT SEXUALLY REPRODUCING in a box, and gradually killing them.


This is no different than putting a dog in a fish tank and slowly filling it with water, and expecting him to learn to breath water. It has exactly the same chance of success. Or putting a human being in a room and slowly sucking out the oxygen and expecting them to learn to convert CO2 into fresh oxygen.

 

[RVA REEF]

with the help of gonzales he should be able to grow corals in fresh water

 

[McJaeger]

Yeah, if we can clone a dang sheep or bring back an extinct animal I'm sure we can get a coral to adapt to a different habit. People aren't getting the point

Evolution happens at a population level, not to individual organisms, so claims of induced evolution are misguided. The coral could eventually adapt to osmotic stress via epigenetic changes but the beneficial effects will be limited and wouldn't carry to the next generation. In order to create something akin a freshwater hydroid you'd need a way to create successive generations of genetically distinct organisms and hope that one of the offspring adapts to new environmental stressors. If you want to try it then power to you, but I highly doubt this work the way you envision it will.

Alternatively, you could dabble with gene editing. CRISPR kits are relatively cheap these days :D

 

[Eric1493]

I know what evolution is. Of course this isn’t a “1, 2, 3” experiment, but takes time like real evolution through reproduction.

A common bio class project is to take a culture of fruit flies,put them in specific conditions, and see how they evolve next to other cultures.Those are induced experiments. Evolution stems from available resources. If you can control them, you can push evolution into certain favors.

Again, you don't know what evolution is. Evolution is a GRADUAL process that takes eons to see a measurable, significant change in the genotype of a population. And secondly, that's not evolution. That's natural selection. There was no breeding of those fruit flies for hundreds of generations and gene sequencing. You could absolutely do the same experiment with zoanthids. PLace 100 polyps of zoanthids into freshwater and record the results. I guarantee you, there will be no survivors and no "induced evolution". There is a reason no zoanthids have evolved to adapt to freshwater. It may occur over the course of millions of years, because of small gene changes, but it will not occur over 10 years under incompetent supervision. That's just not how evolution works.

 

[Jib]

Maybe he’s still developing a hypothesis and that’s why he consulted this forum.

OP hasn't consulted anyone. Just keeps reiterating why not and dismissing the advice that has been given.

 

[Eric1493]

I used to be a normal human. In the last few years I've evolved a set of gills. I now can live on land or under water indefinitely. Anything is possible!

Whoa man! Time to set up a YouTube channel!

 

[RJKain-777]

Won’t work. Unless corals spawn every time you lower salinity, which they won’t since they need perfect parameters, you won’t be able to keep it alive. There’s also parameters that are needed that aren’t found in fresh water (don’t ask, I don’t know exactly what they are).

 

[Eric1493]

If there are multiple species that both you and I know fit that description, why would I need to give you evidence?? This isn’t a college essay. It’s a fish forum. Humans saving endangered species is well enough known by people, I don’t need to give examples.

There's a difference between giving pandas shelter, food, and water and putting zoanthids into worse conditions, unsupervised, and for no plausible scientific reason.