Consequences of Distant Hybridization in Animals

The present book is a rare example of a study that should attract the attention of biologists and breeders of various fields. The authors summarize their own long-term studies of distant hybridization of animals and data from other researchers of evolution and speciation. The book is unique in that the consequences of interspecies hybridization are described both at the morphological and molecular levels. The presented data from genomic studies of various groups of animals, as well as humans, convincingly show that species exchange and have exchanged genetic information throughout their entire existence. It becomes obvious that this process must be taken into account both in agriculture during selection and in the study of the genomes of all organisms inhabiting the Earth. Due to the broad coverage of the problem and fairly simple presentation, the book will be useful to biologists of all fields and specialties, from field zoologists to researchers of the structure and expression of eukaryotic genomes. This book not only reflects the profound insights of the authors but also serves as a vital resource which will continue to inspire and guide new research efforts in these ever-evolving fields.