Hybrid swarm

A hybrid swarm is a population of hybrids that has survived beyond the initial hybrid generation, with interbreeding between hybrid individuals and backcrossing with its parent types. Such population are highly variable, with the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of individuals ranging widely between the two parent types. Hybrid swarms thus blur the boundary between the parent taxa. Precise definitions of which populations can be classified as hybrid swarms vary, with some specifying simply that all members of a population should be hybrids, while others differ in whether all members should have the same or different levels of hybridization.

Examples

In plants, it is possible for a hybrid swarm to form between self-pollinating and outcrossing species. One such example is hybridization between the self-pollinating wood aven and the mostly outcrossing water aven in the UK. == Invasive species ==

Invasive species

Hybrid swarms can pose a significant threat to an ecosystem when they involve invasive species, as invasive hybrids are frequently able to easily outcompete native species. As with other hybrid swarms, the hybrid genotypes may be more or less fit than the parent genotypes. In the event of a particular hybrid genotype having the greatest fitness, not only the native parent species, but also the exotic parent species may be outcompeted. A hybrid swarm was formed between the blacktail shiner, a species native to the river, and the red shiner, an invasive species. The population has expanded its range over time, moving both downstream and upstream while the proportion of hybrid individuals in the system is increasing. In addition, the size of the hybrid swarm has experienced a great degree of flux, experiencing alternating growth and decline over time. ==See also==

Source: Wikipedia ↗

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