A condition where an organism has chromosome sets from two different species, making it a hybrid with complete sets of chromosomes from each parent species.
From Greek 'allo-' (other, different) + 'ploid' (from 'euploid', having full chromosome sets). Coined in the early 20th century to describe polyploid organisms arising from hybridization between distinct species.
Alloploidy is how many crop plants like wheat and cotton were created—they're sterile hybrids that became fertile by doubling their chromosomes, essentially turning two species into one super-plant that combined the best traits of both parents.
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