Article Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Article - Assignment Example Many such examples are widely known today. The three times hybridization of the prairie sunflower with the common sunflower that results in the generation of three different types of sunflowers, namely the puzzle sunflower, the desert sunflower, and the sand sunflower is one good example. (Carroll, 2010). In this case, it has been possible to make the hybrids survive in extreme weather conditions that the parent sunflowers did not have an ability to. It has been discovered through research that the sand sunflower and the puzzle sunflower can grow in dune and salty habitat respectively while the parent sunflowers can not. It is not only about survival, the hybrids can actually germinate and grow in areas which were harsh towards their parents in terms of extremity of habitat conditions. Thus, one potential advantage of hybridization is that it can be chosen as a means to ensure the sustainability of various plant and animal species. Manual hybridization of animal and plant species can cause the parent species to develop hybrids with various genetic disorders that include but are not limited to the increased susceptibility of the hybrid to acquiring diseases, impotency and shortened life periods. This causes such hybrids as mules (hybrids of horse and donkey) and zorses (hybrids of horses and zebras) to become extinct as they are not equipped with the tendency to prolong their generation. Besides, it is also not justifiable from an ethical point of view in that such animals and plants suffer from infertility, and there is little awareness of the medication that suits them when they require a treatment for their frequently acquired diseases. Hybridization of animals can cause many more challenges for the future generations as compared to the hybridization of plants particularly because disorders with the former are more obvious and