Question

5. Imagine that you encounter two color morphs of S. marcescens in natural environment. If you do not have any prior knowledge on the prodigiosin synthesis pathway of these Serratia species, will you consider the red and white Serratia colonies as one species or two species? Do you think we should designate species based on morphological traits or genetic differentiation? Without limiting to the S. marcescens experiment, provide evidence and example to support your claim.

Answer 1

Answer:

According to the given question that without prior knowledge on the prodigiosin synthesis pathway of these Serratia species, and we experience two different color morphs of the species. So, there is given or known preliminary morphological basis we will consider them different two different colonies. These can be identify only after genetically identify or study.

The morphological characterstics of the organism and the genetic identification both are equally important. So Giving any one more importance over other is not logical.

Morphologically we can differentiate the color of the colonies of mutants. The mutant serratia sp. are  known for eficient biosynthesis of prodigiosin, Thus on the basis of color characteristics of their colonies when grown on peptone glycerol medium we can identify.