On the width of hybrid zones

[摘要] Hybrid zones occur when two species are found in close proximity and interbreeding occurs, but the species' characteristics remain distinct. These systems have been treated in the biology literature using partial differential equations models. Here we investigate a stochastic spatial model and prove the existence of a stationary distribution that represents the hybrid zone in equilibrium. We calculate the width of the hybrid zone, which agrees with the PDE formula only in dimensions d >= 3. Our results also give insight into properties of hybrid zones in patchy environments. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[发布日期] 2007-12-01

[关键词] hybrid zones;reaction diffusion equation;biased voter model;block construction