Hybrid

:This article is about a biological term. See hybrid (disambiguation) for other meanings.

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In biology, hybrid has three meanings.

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• The first meaning is either the offspring of two different species, or of two different genera.
• The second meaning of "hybrid" is crosses between populations, breeds or cultivars ("cultivated varieties") of a single species. This second meaning is often used in plant breeding.
• Hybrids between different species within the same genus are sometimes known as interspecific hybrids or crosses.
• Hybrids between different genera are sometimes known as intergeneric hybrids.
• The third meaning is in molecular biology, see Hybridization (molecular biology).

Ernst Mayr wrote of Gregor Mendel, "He was uncertain about the nature of the kinds of peas he crossed, and, like most plant breeders, he called heterozygotes "hybrids". When he tried to confirm the laws he had found by using "other hybrids" that were actually real species hybrids, he failed. The use of the same term "hybrid" for two entirely different biological phenomena thwarted his later efforts." (This is Biology, 1997, p58f).

Related Topics:
Ernst Mayr - Gregor Mendel - Heterozygote

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Some dog hybrids (used in sense two, above), are becoming increasingly popular and are being bred selectively. In cats, the erroneous term feral-domestic hybrid is often used to mean a hybrid between the domestic cat and a wild cat species (a "feral" animal is a domestic animal that has reverted to the wild state)..

Related Topics:
Dog hybrids - Bred selectively

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Plant hybrids, especially,are often stronger than either parent variety, a phenomenon which when present is known as hybrid vigour (heterosis). Plant breeders make use of a number of techniques to produce hybrids.

Related Topics:
Hybrid vigour - Plant breeders

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The lonicera fly is the first known animal species that was created by hybridization. Until then, this process was known among plants only.

Related Topics:
Lonicera fly - Animal - Species - Plant

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Hybrid: Interspecific hybrids ►