Hybrid Zones: Changing the Assumptions Underlying the Theories

9629236黑斯廷斯这个项目将使用模型来了解杂交区的动态，两个物种杂交的位置。 这些模型改进了以前的模型，包括更真实的运动描述（例如，种子在植物周围的分布）以及哪些个体可能存活（包括取决于其他个体频率的存活）。 这些方法包括计算机模拟和理解复杂方程的最新数学进展。 该模型将被用来估计自然杂交区的选择和扩散量。 杂交区是重要的，因为它们是自然选择过程的自然实验室，在那里更容易研究，因为不同类型之间的杂交产生了新的类型。以这种方式理解自然选择对许多问题具有社会重要性，从保护生物多样性到植物和动物育种。

9629236 Hastings This project will use models to understand the dynamics of hybrid zones, locations where two species interbreed. The models improve on previous ones by including more realistic descriptions of movement (for example, the distribution of seeds around a plant) and of which individuals are likely to survive (including survival that depends on the frequency of other individuals). The methods include computer simulations and recent mathematical advances in understanding complex equations. The models will be used to estimate the amounts of selection and dispersal in natural hybrid zones. Hybrid zones are important because they are natural laboratories where the processes of natural selection are easier to study, since the interbreeding among different types produces novel types. Understanding natural selection in this way has societal importance for many issues, ranging from the preservation of biodiversity to plant and animal breeding.