Tag: Hybridization

  • Nation & World

    A clue to biodiversity?

    An analysis of 20 butterfly genomes found evidence that many butterfly species — including distantly related species — show a surprisingly high amount of gene flow between them, Harvard researchers found.

    5 minutes
    Heliconius xanthocles butterfly illustration with wings spread.
  • Nation & World

    Forces of isolation

    Research led by a Harvard biologist demonstrated a method for measuring the strength of selection in favor of reproductive isolation.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Vivid details

    A landmark effort to sequence the genome of the butterfly Heliconius melpomene has revealed that it shares genes that control color patterns with two species that closely mimic its appearance — Heliconius timareta and Heliconius elevatus — suggesting that all three exchange genes as a result of occasional hybridization.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Giving hybrids some respect

    Harvard researchers have used genetic analysis to confirm that the Appalachian tiger swallowtail butterfly arose through hybridization of two other species, the Canadian and Eastern tiger swallowtails, highlighting a rare case of speciation through hybridization in animals.

    4 minutes