The Research Advances in Distant Hybridization and Gynogenesis in Fish

Abstract

Distant hybridization and gynogenesis are two prevalent breeding techniques for fishes. Drawing from the research achievements of our team and the existing literature, we summarize the reproductive traits and genetic features of fishes derived from distant hybridizations and gynogenesis, and we deduce the fundamental mechanisms of these two methods and compare them, discerning their common and different characteristics. Both distant hybridization and gynogenesis techniques can alter genotypes and phenotypes, thus establishing them as significant breeding methods. Additionally, the genetic principles and the basic biological characteristics of distant hybridization and gynogenesis in fish have been inferred. We propose the concepts of macro-hybrid and micro-hybrid based on extensive experimental findings from fish distant hybridizations and gynogenesis. The term “macro-hybrid” refers to offspring from distant hybridization that possess two distinct subgenomes, each inherited from one of the two parental species, such as allodiploid and allotetraploid lineages. The concept of “micro-hybrid” refers to offspring, including autodiploid and autotetraploid lineages, as well as those resulting from artificial gynogenesis, whose genome almost originates solely from the maternal parent but in which certain DNA fragments derived from the paternal parent insert. Distant hybridization and gynogenesis are vital techniques in fish genetics, breeding, and evolution. We highlight the prospective paths for research and application of distant hybridization and gynogenesis in fishes.