inbreeding
inbreeding The interbreeding of closely related individuals (e.g. of siblings, or cousins, or a parent and its offspring). The converse is outbreeding. The inbreeding coefficient is the probability of homozygosity owing to a zygote obtaining copies of the same gene from parents of common ancestry. Inbreeding increases homozygosity: unfavourable recessive genes are therefore more likely to be expressed in the offspring. In general, the genetic variability of an inbred population declines; this is usually disadvantageous for its long-term survival and success. Typically, vigour is reduced in inbred stock. Many organisms, including humans, have physical or social mechanisms that tend to discourage inbreeding and promote outbreeding.
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inbreeding