Data from: Does human-induced hybridization have long-term genetic effects? Empirical testing with domesticated, wild and hybridized fish populations

Current conservation practices exclude human-generated hybridized
populations from protection, as the genetic effects of hybridization in
the wild have been observed to be long-lasting based on neutral genetic
markers and are considered potentially irreversible. Theory, however,
predicts otherwise for genes under selection. We transplanted combinations
of wild, domesticated and hybridized populations of a fish species to new
environments. We then compared survival, phenotypic variation and
plasticity to determine whether hybridization affects adaptive potential
after multiple generations of selection in the wild. Although the fitness
of our hybridized populations at the onset of hybridization cannot be
assessed, our results suggest that within five to eleven generations,
selection can remove introduced foreign genes from wild populations that
have hybridized with domesticated conspecifics. The end result is
hybridized populations that, in terms of survival, phenotypic plasticity,
mean trait expression and overall general responses to environmental
change, closely resemble neighbouring wild populations. These results have
important implications for considering the potential conservation value of
hybridized populations and illustrate the effectiveness of selection in a
local environment.