Role of hybridization during invasions

Hybridization is increasingly recognized as an important evolutionary mechanism influencing biological invasions. In some cases, hybridization can promote invasion success by increasing genetic diversity, generating novel trait combinations, and enabling rapid adaptation to new environments. In other systems, however, hybridization may reduce fitness, disrupt reproductive compatibility, or create sterile lineages that constrain the spread of non-native species.

This Working Group focuses on the dual role of hybridization in invasion biology, with particular emphasis on forest ecosystems and forest-associated organisms. The Working Group aims to synthesize current knowledge across plants, insects, vertebrates, pathogens, and other taxa to better understand when hybridization acts as a driver of invasions and when it functions as a natural constraint or form of biotic resistance.

The group will examine how hybridization influences invasion success, ecosystem impacts, species interactions, and evolutionary dynamics in both native and non-native ranges. Particular attention will be given to long-lived organisms such as trees, where hybridization may have long-term ecological and management consequences.

In addition to its ecological and evolutionary implications, the Working Group will also evaluate the potential use of sterile or low-fertility hybrids as a management and biosecurity tool for reducing invasion risks. By integrating perspectives from invasion biology, evolutionary genetics, forest ecology, entomology, phytopathology, and ecological modelling, the group aims to develop a broader conceptual framework linking hybridization processes with invasion risk assessment and management strategies.