Practice question

Allopolyploidy forms when two distinct species hybridize and the combined chromosome sets double. The product contains genomes from different parents, for example A from Triticum and B from Aegilops combining to AABB, becoming fertile because each chromosome now has an exact pair to synapse. Historically termed amphidiploidy, this process restores bivalent pairing in otherwise sterile interspecific hybrids. It has driven speciation in wheat, cotton, tobacco, and Brassica, combining desirable traits of both progenitors while creating instant reproductive isolation from parents, crucial mechanism for plant evolution.