About this Research Topic

Background

Thanks to the advances in genome sequencing techniques, the hybrid nature of many fungal strains or species has been unveiled. Hybrid genomes have been observed in an increasing number of fungal lineages, of which many are of industrial or clinical relevance. Hybridization in fungi has been linked to relevant processes such as the origin of new species, adaptation to new niches, emergence of new traits, or the origin of whole genome duplications. Despite recent progress, we still have a very poor understanding about how hybrids are formed or how they subsequently evolve, and we lack appropriate tools for their study.

This Research Topic will address issues related to the nature of fungal hybrids and their genomes. Subjects related to the evolution, ecology, and physiology of fungal hybrids are welcome including:

• Mechanisms of hybrid formation, species boundaries, and mating incompatibility.

• Genomic studies on fungal hybrids of clinical, industrial, or environmental relevance.

• Genome evolution and population genomics of fungal hybrids.

• Consequences of hybridization at the genomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic, metabolic, and proteomic levels.

• New tools for the detection, and study of hybrid genomes.

• Ecological genomics of hybrid genomes.

Keywords: Hybrid genomes, hybridization, whole genome duplication, species boundaries, non-vertical evolution.

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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