Hybridization can facilitate species invasions, even without enhancing local adaptation.

ABSTRACT: The founding population in most new species introductions, or at the leading edge of an ongoing invasion, is likely to be small. Severe Allee effects-reductions in individual fitness at low population density-may then result in a failure of the species to colonize, even if the habitat could support a much larger population. Using a simulation model for plant populations that incorporates demography, mating systems, quantitative genetics, and pollinators, we show that Allee effects can potentially be overcome by transient hybridization with a resident species or an earlier colonizer. This mechanism does not require the invocation of adaptive changes usually attributed to invasions following hybridization. We verify our result in a case study of sequential invasions by two plant species wher

SUBMITTER: Mesgaran MB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5018793 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature