Origin of African Physacanthus (Acanthaceae) via Wide Hybridization

Origin of African Physacanthus (Acanthaceae) via Wide Hybridization

Gene flow between closely related species is a frequent phenomenon that is known to play important roles in organismal evolution. Less clear, however, is the importance of hybridization between distant relatives. We present molecular and morphological evidence that support origin of the plant genus Physacanthus via "wide hybridization" between members of two distantly related lineages in the la...

Broadening Gene Pool of Rice for Resistance to Biotic Stresses Through Wide Hybridization

Variability in the cultivated germplasm for economic traits such as resistance to rice tungro virus, sheathblight, yellow stem borer, drought and salt tolerance is limited. This necessitated search for the genes in secondary and tertiary gene pool of genus Oryza. Fortunately, wild species are an important reservoir ofuseful genes for resistance to major disease, pest and tolerance t...

Hybridization and the origin of species.

The phenomenon of hybridization has fascinated scientists for many decades and in various biological contexts (e.g. Darwin, 1862; Haldane, 1922; Dobzhansky, 1937; Mayr, 1946; Anderson, 1949; Hewitt, 1996; Mallet, 2005). Despite the long history of hybridization research, many open questions remain, some of which can only now be tackled due to the rapid improvement of sequencing technology. The ...

African Origin of Olmecs: Science and Myth

Diversity and origin of South African chickens.

The objectives of this study were to analyze the genetic diversity and structure of South African conserved and field chicken populations and to investigate the maternal lineages of these chicken populations. Four South African conserved chicken populations (n = 89), namely, Venda (VD_C), Ovambo, Naked Neck, and Potchefstroom Koekoek from the Animal Production Institute of the Agricultural Rese...