Are Plant Hybrids Harming or Helping the Planet?

Evolution is a natural process, yet some scientists are asserting that in the wake of human influence, plant hybrids are thriving at an unnaturally fast rate. Thanks to a host of factors like international transport, global warming, deforestation and farming, plant hybrids are threatening the prosperity of local plants, animals and ecosystems. They’re stronger and more resilient than their purebred counterparts, with their diverse DNA arming them with formidable staying power.   

Ecosystems in emerging economies have been identified as high risk networks, with rapid urban and agricultural development accelerating the hybrid riot. The process is already present in regions such as the British Isles, where around one third of wild hybrids have one or more foreign parents, all of which were introduced by humans.

The hybrid insurgence

As hybrids thrive as invasive species, their pedigree counterparts struggle to keep up. Their combined characteristics make them better at competing for water and nutrients, while an influx of foreign DNA can create a genetic melting pot that merges native and non-native organisms until the original species is blurred beyond recognition. In the scientific world this process is referred to as “extinction by mating,” and can see entire species wiped off the map.

Crossbreed mutiny or natural process?

There’s no denying that local species are under threat, yet hybridisation is also a natural process that’s been taking place for millions of years. Genetic exchanges are responsible for some of the most remarkable examples of evolutionary change, with Africa’s impressively diverse “cichlid” fish and America’s drought and salt resistant sunflowers just two examples of hybridisation at its finest.

Ultra-fast evolution

Of course, there are exceptions, with some new hybrid species armed with genome doubling mutations that allow them to increase cellular DNA by 50%. This polyploidisation process creates an obese genome which duplicates each copy of the hybrid DNA. DNA duplication can play out over a single generation, which means the materialisation of new species is instantaneous.

To some extent, hybridisation is a serious threat to native species. Yet from a planetary conservation perspective, gene transfers could also be the key to helping plants combat climate change and other shifting environmental factors. An evolutionary weapon of sorts, that could lead to the establishment of a hybrid kingdom.

DNA analysis plays a keynote role in helping botanists learn more about the hybrid insurgency.  For more information on the sophisticated technology, ‘Chromatrap®: A fast, Reliable High-Throughput ChIP-seq Assay for Genome-Wide Protein-DNA Analysis’ introduces a new technique for genome-wide profiling of DNA-binding proteins and histone modifications.