Introgression

<p>Introgression, also known as introgressive hybridization, in <a href="/facts/Genetics/bu8wne0A">genetics</a> is the transfer of genetic material from one species into the <a href="/facts/Gene_pool/kYRN6qIa">gene pool</a> of another by the repeated <a href="/facts/Backcrossing/mBzBcdNv">backcrossing</a> of an <a href="/facts/Interspecific_hybrid/pzVJ54xU">interspecific hybrid</a> with one of its parent species. Introgression is a long-term process, even when artificial; it may take many hybrid generations before significant backcrossing occurs. This process is distinct from most forms of <a href="/facts/Gene_flow/EuvXPhHt">gene flow</a> in that it occurs between two populations of different species, rather than two populations of the same species.
</p><p>Introgression also differs from simple <a href="/facts/Hybridization_(biology)/pzVJ54xU">hybridization</a>. Simple hybridization results in a relatively even mixture; gene and allele frequencies in the first generation will be a uniform mix of two parental species, such as that observed in <a href="/facts/Mule/jIschaJU">mules</a>. Introgression, on the other hand, results in a complex, highly variable mixture of genes, and may only involve a minimal percentage of the donor genome.
</p>

Introgression open-in-new

Introgression