Hybridization and introgression during density-dependent range expansion: European wildcats as a case study.

ABSTRACT: Interbreeding between historically allopatric species with incomplete reproductive barriers may result when species expand their range. The genetic consequences of such hybridization depend critically on the dynamics of the range expansion. Hybridization models during range expansion have been developed but assume dispersal to be independent from neighboring population densities. However, organisms may disperse because they are attracted by conspecifics or because they prefer depopulated areas. Here, through spatially explicit simulations, we assess the effect of various density-dependent dispersal modes on the introgression between two species. We find huge introgression from the local species into the invasive one with all dispersal modes investigated, even when the hybridization rate is

SUBMITTER: Quilodran CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6594108 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature