Outcomes of Hybridization: From Genes to Ecosystem Changes

Biodiversity research increasingly examines how human-driven environmental change affects species and the processes shaping their persistence. Hybridization can have diverse evolutionary consequences: it may produce infertile hybrids or reduce the fitness of parental species, but it can also increase genetic variation, support rapid adaptation, and help populations withstand environmental stress. Recent genomic approaches have expanded our understanding of both historical and contemporary hybridization, yet its effects on species diversification, ecological interactions, and long-term persistence remain context-dependent and incompletely understood. Determining when hybridization promotes adaptation, and when it increases the risk of decline, is essential for understanding and managing biodiversity.This Research Topic aims to clarify how natural and assisted hybridization influence species evolution, adaptation, and persistence amid environmental change. It will examine the genetic, physiological, behavioral, and ecological factors that shape hybrid outcomes, and consider how these findings can inform biodiversity conservation.The Research Topic will focus on the consequences of natural and assisted hybridization for species and populations in changing environments, including their relevance to conservation. We welcome contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Molecular evidence for natural hybridization- Interactions between hybridization and polyploidy- Effects of hybridization on behavior and fitness- Physiological performance of hybrids under environmental stress- Effects on species’ distribution ranges and habitat niches- Consequences for species interactions- The roles of hybridization in adaptation and extinction risk- Hybridization and species conservationWe welcome original research papers, methods, reviews, mini-reviews, perspectives, and other relevant article types. Topic editors: Isabel Marques, Tamara Petrovic Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/87277/outcomes-of-hybridization-from-genes-to-ecosystem-changes