dear EvolDir Community, We are inviting abstract submissions for our symposium, "The roles of hybridization and introgression in evolution¡± (Symposium #14) at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Society for Molecular Biology & Evolution, July 20-24 in Beijing China. Details are below: SMBE 2025 - Annual Meeting of the Society for Molecular Biology & Evolution, 2025 http://www.smbe2025.org/ https://smbe2025.scimeeting.cn/en/web/index/25070_2131033 The roles of hybridization and introgression in evolution Organizers Jun Chen, Zhejiang University Martin Lascoux, Uppsala University Invited Speaker James Mallet, Harvard University The last decades have witnessed an increase interest about introgression and its role in evolution and it is today clear that introgression has had a significant influence on many species¡¯ evolutionary trajectories by introducing large numbers of mutations into the genome of the host species. Most of these mutations are deleterious or neutral but a few are beneficial and may contribute to adaptation. Estimating introgression levels along the genome remains a difficult task and various methods have been, or are being, developed based on phylogenetic conflicts between gene trees and species tree, or, more recently, based on the ancestral recombination graph. A first aim of the symposium will be to review recent progress in the estimation of the amount and distribution of introgression along the genome. A second aim of the symposium will be to present recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms contributing to the insertion of the introgressed fragments and their maintenance, including adaptation. Finally, gene flow is generally perceived as a homogenizing force that prevents populations from diverging and speciation to occur. Nonetheless, extensive hybridization and introgression have been detected between hundreds of animal and plant species. Hence, a final aim of the symposium will be to evaluate the relationship between introgression and speciation. Best regards, Ruirui Fu Plant Ecology College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University #866 Yuhangtang Road Zhejiang Province China ¸¶ÈñÈñ (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)