Homoploid hybrid speciation: advancements and challenges

作者：Zefu Wang, Zhuang Zhao, Minjie Li · 发表于：Plant Ecology & Diversity · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1080/17550874.2025.2550015 · 被引用次数：7 · 研究领域：Chromosomal and Genetic Variations、Genetic diversity and population structure、Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals

Background Hybridisation between species is a prevalent phenomenon in nature that can lead to a variety of evolutionary outcomes, including homoploid hybrid speciation (HHS). HHS is an important mode of speciation that contributes to species diversification and the formation of contemporary species diversity. Through HHS, interspecific hybrids can rapidly evolve into independent lineages (species) due to interbreeding with others with nearly similar genetic compositions, resulting from the immediate establishment of reproductive isolation (RI) from both parental species. These RI traits arise from novel or recombined traits that further result from the inheritance of alternative alleles from the parental highly diverged genes and the recombination of their genomes, often accompanied by rapid structural variations. Such homoploid hybrid species are fertile and capable of normal sexual reproduction.Aims Despite its importance, many instances of HHS have been overlooked, primarily due to confusion surrounding key concepts related to species, RI, interspecific introgression, and HHS itself, as well as a relative lack of robust research methods. Methods: We provide an overview of HHS research, focusing primarily on plants but also extending to animals to capture the general concepts and mechanisms involved.Results We emphasise the distinctions between hybrids and hybrid-origin species, interspecific introgression and HHS, and RI genes versus speciation genes.Conclusions A better u...