All loci are not created alike in the eyes of man

Jason Rosenhouse and John Hawks have both commented on the introgression of cattle alleles into wild bison. J & J have hit many of the salient points, but let me suggest one issue: not all genetic loci are created equal. That is, "neutral" markers should be weighted less than "functional" markers. Of course, neutral markers probably aren't all neutral, and many functional markers are functionally relevant only in specified environmental contexts. The problem with these sort of questions is that I believe our "species concepts" are derived from gestalt psychology and our intuitive tendency to categorize "kinds" based on a few visible traits, and these few traits often derive their characteristics from a subset of genetic loci. The mapping of the words to the genetical reality of a flux of allele frequencies across populations is imperfect, and it is through the filter of these words that we elucidate our values ...