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Updated: Jan 7, 2026

Manipulation of Ploidy in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: March 15, 2018
Digest: Modelling autopolyploid establishment in a novel habitat
1Department of Environment and Biodiversity, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
Abstract:
What is the probability that autopolyploids establish in a novel, unoccupied habitat, and how is this affected by selfing and assortative mating? Using a modelling approach, Zwaenepoel (2025) found that, following a single migration event, autopolyploids are more likely than diploids to establish under a wide range of circumstances. The author also found that, under continuous migration, the rate of migration, along with factors such as selfing and assortative mating, affects the time to autopolyploid establishment. These findings help to explain how polyploids may colonize more extreme peripheral habitats.
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