Species are often defined by their ability to reproduce with others of the same kind. Yet nature doesn’t always follow such neat boundaries.
Different species can sometimes interbreed, a phenomenon known as hybridization. Once dismissed as an evolutionary curiosity, hybridization is now recognized as a common and powerful force in shaping the natural world.
American Chestnut Foundation will hold a Live Chestnut Chat on Friday, August 21st from 11:30 am to 1 pm.In this Chat, Dr. Gregory Owens from the University of Victoria will review how we define species, what happens when species mix together, and how modern genomics lets us probe these questions. In the second half of the talk, Dr. Owens will explore the case of Helianthus annuus texanus, the Texas common sunflower, which was thought to be a hybrid of two species.
He will show the results of an experiment to recreate the species and what happens in the genome when hybrids are allowed to evolve in the wild.
Register for this Chat at Chestnut Chat: Does hybridization help? Testing for an adaptive role of hybridization and introgression in Texas sunflowers | The American Chestnut Foundation