最新研究发现, 茄科植物中的番茄组与类马铃薯组的祖先物种, 通过一次古老的同倍杂交物种形成事件, 产生了具有“马铃薯/土豆”这一创新性状的马铃薯组祖先物种。这一杂交事件不仅带来了关键创新性状, 还触发了新生态位的开拓, 并最终导致马铃薯组物种的爆发式产生。该研究连同近年来的相关案例, 共同揭示了“交替继承双亲高分化等位基因以产生创新性状”这一同倍杂交物种形成分子机制的普适性。这些发现对于修订传统的二分枝物种形成模型以及推动生物人工育种范式的革新具有重要意义。

Recent research has discovered that an ancient homoploid interspecific hybridization event between ancestral species of the tomato lineage (Solanum sect. Lycopersicon) and sect. Etuberosum lineage in the nightshade family (Solanaceae) gave rise to the ancestral species of the potato lineage (sect. Petota) and generated the innovative "potato" tuber trait. This hybridization event not only introduced this key innovative trait but also triggered the exploitation of new ecological niches, ultimately leading to the explosive emergence of species within the potato clade. This study, together with related case studies in recent years, collectively reveals the universality of the molecular mechanism of homoploid hybrid speciation—namely, "generating innovative traits through the alternate inheritance of highly diverged alleles from both parental lineages". These findings hold significant implications for revising the traditional bifurcating speciation model and advancing the paradigm shift in artificial breeding practices.