Hybridization speeds adaptive evolution in an eight-year field experiment

Hybridization is a common phenomenon, yet its evolutionary outcomes remain debated. Here, we ask whether hybridization can speed adaptive evolution using resynthesized hybrids between two species of Texas sunflowers ( Helianthus annuus and H. debilis ) that form a natural hybrid in the wild ( H. annuus ssp. texanus ). We established separate control and hybrid populations and allowed them to evolve naturally in a field evolutionary experiment....