Natural hybridization reduces vulnerability to climate change

Chris J. Brauer, Jonathan Sandoval-Castillo, Katie Gates, Michael P. Hammer, Peter J. Unmack, Louis Bernatchez and Luciano B. Beheregaray ()
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Chris J. Brauer: Flinders University
Jonathan Sandoval-Castillo: Flinders University
Katie Gates: Flinders University
Michael P. Hammer: Natural Sciences, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
Peter J. Unmack: University of Canberra
Louis Bernatchez: Université Laval
Luciano B. Beheregaray: Flinders University

Nature Climate Change, 2023, vol. 13, issue 3, 282-289

Abstract: Abstract Under climate change, species unable to track their niche via range shifts are largely reliant on genetic variation to adapt and persist. Genomic vulnerability predictions are used to identify populations that lack the necessary variation, particularly at climate-relevant genes. However, hybridization as a source of novel adaptive variation is typically ignored in genomic vulnerability studies. We estimated environmental niche models and genomic vulnerability for closely related species of rainbowfish (Melanotaenia spp.) across an elevational gradient in the Australian Wet Tropics. Hybrid populations between a widespread generalist and several narrow range endemic species exhibited reduced vulnerability to projected climates compared to pure narrow endemics. Overlaps between introgressed and adaptive genomic regions were consistent with a signal of adaptive introgression. Our findings highlight the often-underappreciated conservation value of hybrid populations and indicate that adaptive introgression may contribute to evolutionary rescue of species with narrow environmental ranges.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41558-022-01585-1

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