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

dc.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Helsinki - Kulmuni, Jonna
dc.contributor.affiliationUniversity of British Columbia - Wiley, Bryn
dc.contributor.affiliationUniversity of British Columbia - Otto, Sarah
dc.contributor.authorKulmuni, Jonna
dc.contributor.authorWiley, Bryn
dc.contributor.authorOtto, Sarah
dc.date.accessioned2025-03-24T15:18:55Z
dc.date.issued2023-02-07
dc.date.issued2023-02-07
dc.descriptionRates 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 offset intrinsic incompatibilities and last for tens of generations, regardless of whether the population was diploid or haplodiploid. Our results highlight the creative role of hybridization and suggest that hybridization may help contemporary populations adapt to the changing climate. However, adaptation by hybrids may well happen at the cost of reduced biodiversity, if previously isolated lineages collapse into one.
dc.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.vhhmgqnz5
dc.identifier.urihttps://hydatakatalogi-test-24.it.helsinki.fi/handle/123456789/10274
dc.rightsOpen
dc.rights.licensecc-zero
dc.subjectforward genetic simulations
dc.titleOn the fast track: Hybrids adapt more rapidly than parental populations in a novel environment
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