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Hybridization in Animals—Extent, processes and Evolutionary impact |
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Since the time of Charles Darwin, studies of interspecific hybridization have been a major focus for evolutionary biologists. Although this phenomenon has often been viewed as problematic in the fields of ecology, taxonomy and systematics, it has become a primary source of data for studies on speciation and adaptation. Evolutionary processes such as recombination and natural selection usually develop over extended periods of time, however, they are accelerated in cases of hybridization. Interspecific hybrids exhibit novel genomes which are exposed to natural selection, thus providing a key to unravel the ultimate causes of adaptation and speciation. Here we provide a timely collection of various cases of interspecific hybridization, covering all major animal groups and addressing major issues in hybridization research. Several case studies document how genetic material is crossing species borders, which results in the admixture of previously isolated taxa. This process has severe consequences for e.g. the maintenance of rare species and indigenous faunas due to the interbreeding with invasive or domestic taxa (e.g. wild and feral cats). Other studies show how (either natural or man-made) environmental changes cause the origin of new evolutionary lineages or adaptation trough interspecific hybridization (e.g. in Darwin´s finches).
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Klaus Schwenk web page |
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Online publication: June 2008 Print publication: 12th September 2008
Volume 363, Number 1505
1) Content 3) Buy a copy [pdf] |