Nov

26

2007
 
 

There and back again



Hybridization destroys and creates species: it depends on the environment

While he coyote, he not wolf. Right?Young species often occur together, separated by a barrier to gene flow that, according to a study published recently in Molecular Ecology, is all too easily broken down. The result? Hybridization — a frequent driver in the formation of new species — can act to meld them together into one. The study, led by University of Bern ecologists Ole Seehausen and Gaku Takimoto, presents a string of real world examples — the genetic tussle between coyotes Canis latrans and grey wolves C. lupus being a particularly striking one. Next, a computer model shows how hybridiziation interacts with environmental variation to generate, or erode, biodiversity. Collapsing species groups into hybrid swarms doesn’t necessarily mean a loss of genetic diversity but it plays havoc with conservation action plans. Once species have been doing their own thing for a while, though, they become resistant to such rapid demise. The first two to five million years are the worst, apparently. Source: Seehausen O, Takimoto G, Roy D & Jokela J (2007) Speciation reversal and biodiversity dynamics with hybridization in changing environments. Molecular Ecology DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.035293.x

Image © Paul Moore

Filed Under Climate change, Endangered species, Habitat, Invasive species, Restoration | 

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Comments

One Response to “There and back again”

  1. Idetrorce on December 15th, 2007 11:36 am

    very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
    Idetrorce

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