Host - parasite interactions in hybridizing Daphnia, the role of variable environments: part 2

• Applicant: Dr. Justyna Wolinska
• Co-Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Piet Spaak
• Subject Area: Evolution, Anthropology
• Term: from 2011 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 207544584

Hybridization is a common phenomenon in both plant and animal kingdoms. Recent data suggest that hybridization is a creative force forming novel genotypes and allowing rapid adaptation to new environments. Assessing hybrid fitness relative to that of the parental taxa is crucial for understanding the widespread nature of hybridization. For example, differences in hybrid and parental infection levels could affect the relative success of hybrids in natural populations. In hybrid and other systems, both host susceptibility and parasite infectivity commonly have a genetic basis. However, these traits are often sensitive to environmental variation, resulting in genotype-by-environment interactions, both of which have been often neglected in theoretical models and empirical studies.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Switzerland