#hybridization

Since you’re a goose enjoyer I thought you might like this!! This fella’s been coming back to the area around my workplace for a few years (I only just managed to get good pictures of him for the first time today). My running theory is that he’s a Canadian goose/domestic goose hybrid based off his unique coloration and the fact that he’s a good bit larger than the other geese in his flock. He tried to square up with a car today I hope he lives forever 💖💖💖

What a cool bird! Love seeing him next to the normal Canada geese what a beefcake lmao. This ask led me to a very interesting iNaturalist article about hybridization in geese; thank you for sharing your unique neighbor!

Reproductive interference occurs when invasive species disrupt the reproductive ability of native species, often leading to harmful hybridization or sexual harassment. These ecological stressors function like a sports game where one team keeps getting in the way of the other team scoring points, even if they’re not playing by the same rules. By creating confusion and wasting energy during mating,…

Excerpt from this story from Popular Science:

If you happen to find yourself in south Texas and spot a strikingly colored bird, be sure to snap a photo. According to biologists at the University of Texas at Austin, it may be a mix between a green jay (Cyanocorax yncas) and a blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata). Unofficially dubbed a “grue jay,” the bird likely marks one of the first confirmed examples of a vertebrate animal that hybridized partially due to climate change.

This tale of two jays began around 7 million years ago, when both species split off from their ancestors on their own evolutionary paths. Green jays are tropical birds native to Central America whose range previously extended about as far as the United States-Mexico border. By comparison, their blue jay cousins are known to generally prefer the more temperate environments of the eastern US, and rarely fly further west than Houston, Texas.

Although the two species haven’t interacted for millions of years, climate change’s influence on average temperatures in the region is forcing a reunion. Environmental scientists have documented green jays migrating further north and blue jays moving west. The birds can be now found commingling around the San Antonio area—and have the offspring to prove it.

The tip-off came from a grainy photo posted online. UT Austin ecologist and green jay researcher Brian Stokes often relies on hobbyist birding online communities for directions and tips for his work. In May 2023, Stokes noticed an unfamiliar bird with a white chest and black mask in a picture uploaded to the Facebook group “TEXBIRDERS.” Although it somewhat resembled a blue jay, he knew it must be something else. A few weeks later, Stokes was in the birder’s suburban San Antonio backyard trying to find the mystery creature.

“The first day, we tried to catch it, but it was really uncooperative,” Stokes recounted in a statement. “But the second day, we got lucky.”

After ensnaring the bird in what’s known as a mist net—a rectangular crosstitching of black nylon threads tied between two poles—Stokes quickly collected a blood sample, banded its leg for future identification, and released it. From there, he and colleagues conducted a genetic analysis to confirm the bird’s identity. Their results published on September 10 in the journal Ecology and Evolution confirm the first hybrid grue jay ever seen in the wild.

Researchers have documented numerous examples of animal hybrids in the wild. These events often follow the introduction of an invasive species. Other cases—such as previously described polar-grizzly bear mixes—can happen after one species’ range expands into the other’s.

The paper I presented at Vectors International Conference in April is now online in full | Hybrid Futures: Human Adaptation in Symbiotic Ecosystems

Excitons, bound states between an electron (i.e., a negatively charged particle) and a hole (i.e., the absence of an electron) in materials, are a key focus of condensed matter physics studies. These bound states can give rise to interesting and uncommon quantum physical effects, which could be leveraged to develop optoelectronic and quantum technologies. Summary Excitons, electron-hole pairs in…