On Tue, 22 Aug 1995, Michael Conner wrote:

> Term used for recognizably different forms of a species,
> usually color related, as in dark morph and light morph.

The term morph is a synonym for what most field guides call "phase." The
latter is a misnomer because it implies that the bird may go through
different phases when, in fact, they stay the same morph (color)
throughout life.

Humans have different morphs. Examples include hair or eye color. These
characters are not caused directly by age, sex, or subspecies.

>
> Okay, I can understand that as far as it goes, but I have some
> questions.
>
> Is morph the same as race?

No. A race is generally the same as subspecies.

>
> Do different morphs within the same species interbreed?

Yes.

>
> If so, is there a tendency for a particular morph to be dominant
> in the offspring? Are dark morphs more dominant as I might
> expect from observing other species?

It depends on the species. In some areas dark morphs may predominate as
in Northern Fulmars in the Pacific and in other areas light morphs may be
more common as in Northern Fulmars in the North Atlantic.

>
> If two members of the same morph breed, will all the offspring
> be of the same morph as the parents?

The morphs are genetically determined. One of the main features of a
"morph" is that you may have siblings which are of different morphs. It
will depend to some extent on parental genotype and the relative
recessive or dominant nature of the genes controlling the morphs.

> Is albinism a type of morph?

No. Albinism is a genetic defect. A morph is a normal genetic variation.

----------
Joe Morlan
Albany, CA
jmorlan at slip.net