The impacts of hybridization: from molecular mechanism to evolution in nature

Hybridization, or the exchange of genes between different species, is much more common than previously recognized. In the past decade, the genome sequencing revolution has allowed us to peer into the evolutionary histories of myriad species. This has led to the realization that many if not most plant and animal species have hybridized with their close relatives. Even the genome of our own species has been shaped by past hybridization. My research program seeks to characterize the genetic and evolutionary consequences of hybridization. We study the mechanisms through which negative genetic interactions are eliminated after hybridization and the situations under which hybridization is beneficial, using swordtail fish as a model system.

Speaker: Molly Schumer, Stanford University