Mutual maintenance of di- and triploid Pelophylax esculentus hybrids in R-E systems: results from artificial crossings experiments

Abstract

Interspecies animal hybrids can employ clonal or hemiclonal reproduction modes where one or all parental genomes are transmitted to the progeny without recombination. Nevertheless, some interspecies hybrids retain strong connection with the parental species needed for successful reproduction. Appearance of polyploid hybrid animals may play an important role in the substitution of parental species and in the speciation process.