# An experimental test of hybrid speciation

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2021 · $297,140

## Abstract

ABSTRACT/PROJECT SUMMARY
Background: Hybrid speciation—when hybrids become reproductively isolated from their parental species—is
argued to be common in plants, but the importance of the process in animals is hotly debated. The difficulty of
obtaining evidence for animal hybrid speciation has led to two camps in speciation research: those who state
that hybrid speciation in animals is rare, and those who consider the process to be rampant. The answer is
bound to lie somewhere in between these two extremes, but no experimental tests have been attempted.
Broad, long-term objective: My research goal is to use carefully designed experiments to understand the
importance of different mechanisms of speciation. Arguably, hybrid speciation remains the most controversial
of all evolutionary process that generates new lineages. Drosophila is a premier animal system to study
experimental speciation and in this proposal I leverage its power to assess the importance of hybrid speciation.
Specific aims: The goal of this project is to understand how likely it is for new animal species to arise through
hybridization. Aim 1 will produce hybrid swarms between 35 species pairs with different levels of genetic
divergence and measure what proportion of replicates give rise to reproductively isolated hybrid species. Aim 2
will study what ecological and genetic factors facilitate hybrid speciation. Aim 3 will assess the genetic changes
underlying these parallel experimental hybrid speciation events, and specifically test previously published
hypotheses about the genetic causes of hybrid speciation.
Method: Fruit flies from the genus Drosophila can be maintained under laboratory conditions, and have an
unmatched arsenal of molecular, genetic, and genomic tools. This proposal presents an experimental evolution
approach using 35 hybridizing species pairs of Drosophila to understand how frequently hybrid speciation
occurs. I will then gather genome wide data and identify the alleles associated with hybrid speciation.
Preliminary results for the experimental evolution and mapping components are both promising.
Health-relatedness: Both the questions—how prevalent is speciation by hybridization—and our approach to
answering them—a new model to detect admixture in hybrid genomes—have relevance for human health.
First, hybridization between insect species might generate new disease vectors. Yet, the evidence for or
against hybrid speciation remains scant. Second, the computational tools we have developed are flexible
enough to be used in any organism and they provide an advantage over other existing methods.
Impact: Hybrid speciation is one of the most difficult speciation processes to conclusively demonstrate,
because it is often impossible to rule out alternative explanations. Experimental evolution provides a means to
observe hybrid speciation without ambiguity. The results from this proposal can resolve the conflict regarding
the prevalence of hybrid speciation. Importantly,...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10125165
- **Project number:** 5R01GM125715-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Daniel Matute
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $297,140
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-03-11 → 2024-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10125165

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10125165, An experimental test of hybrid speciation (5R01GM125715-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10125165. Licensed CC0.

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