Advisor:
Elizabeth Mandeville (IB)

The term "hybrid swarm" is often used to refer to a scenario where extensive hybridization between diverged species has occurred. However, this term is potentially problematic. As we learn more about hybridization, it is increasingly clear that hybridization outcomes vary extensively, with differing implications for the evolutionary trajectory of hybridizing populations. The term "hybrid swarm" has historically been applied to a range of distinct evolutionary scenarios and includes some element of negative value judgement. In this project, we will reanalyze published datasets to assess the range of hybridization outcomes that might be described as a hybrid swarm and use these our results to suggest new ways of categorizing hybridization outcomes that might be more useful. This project will include opportunity for authorship on a peer reviewed paper.