On the fast track: hybrids adapt more rapidly than parental populations in a novel environment.

ABSTRACT: Rates of hybridization are predicted to increase due to climate change and human activity that cause redistribution of species and bring previously isolated populations into contact. At the same time climate change leads to rapid changes in the environment, requiring populations to adapt rapidly in order to survive. A few empirical cases suggest hybridization can facilitate adaptation despite its potential for incompatibilities and deleterious fitness consequences. Here we use simulations and Fisher's Geometric model to evaluate the conditions and time frame of adaptation via hybridization in both diploids and haplodiploids. We find that hybrids adapt faster to new environments compared to parental populations in nearly all simulated scenarios, generating a fitness advantage that can offse

SUBMITTER: Kulmuni J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10871894 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature