heterosis
noun
het·er·o·sis
ˌhe-tə-ˈrō-səs 
: the marked vigor or capacity for growth often exhibited by crossbred animals or plants
called also hybrid vigor
Examples of heterosis in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One concept which one has to introduce is heterosis, whereby crosses between homogeneous lineages produce more fitness offspring.
—
Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2010
Such heterosis effects can contribute significantly to the establishment and early success of invasive species...
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2010
The last is actually a possible reason why there's no reason to appeal to heterosis at all.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 7 July 2011
If there is evidence of admixture, the effects of heterosis might be a default explanation for such observations, perhaps providing a null expectation against which other explanations (such as trait evolution) need to be tested.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2010
That’s because most wild pigs in the U.S. are some level of hybrid between domestic pigs and wild boars, creating heterosis or hybrid vigor.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 5 Oct. 2020
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Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2010
Such heterosis effects can contribute significantly to the establishment and early success of invasive species...
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2010
The last is actually a possible reason why there's no reason to appeal to heterosis at all.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 7 July 2011
If there is evidence of admixture, the effects of heterosis might be a default explanation for such observations, perhaps providing a null expectation against which other explanations (such as trait evolution) need to be tested.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2010
That’s because most wild pigs in the U.S. are some level of hybrid between domestic pigs and wild boars, creating heterosis or hybrid vigor.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 5 Oct. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Heterosis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heterosis. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
heterosis
noun
het·er·o·sis
ˌhet-ə-ˈrō-səs
Medical Definition
heterosis
noun
het·er·o·sis
ˌhet-ə-ˈrō-səs
plural heteroses
-ˌsēz
: a marked vigor or capacity for growth that is often shown by crossbred animals or plants
called also hybrid vigor
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