Inbreeding depression
Inbreeding Depression
Inbreeding depression (pronunciation: /ɪnˈbriːdɪŋ dɪˈprɛʃən/) is a reduction in biological fitness that takes place in a given population as a result of inbreeding, or breeding of related individuals.
Etymology
The term "inbreeding depression" is derived from the words "inbreeding", which refers to the mating of closely related individuals, and "depression", which in this context, refers to a decrease or reduction.
Definition
Inbreeding depression is a phenomenon in population genetics where the offspring from related parents show a reduced biological fitness. This reduction is due to the increased chance of offspring inheriting two copies of a deleterious recessive allele, a phenomenon known as homozygosity.
Causes
Inbreeding depression is primarily caused by the increased homozygosity of deleterious recessive alleles. This can lead to a decrease in genetic diversity, which can in turn reduce the ability of the population to adapt to changing environments.
Effects
The effects of inbreeding depression can be severe, leading to reduced survival and reproduction rates, increased susceptibility to diseases, and in extreme cases, extinction of the population.
Related Terms
- Homozygosity: The state of having two identical alleles for a particular gene.
- Population genetics: The study of genetic variation within populations, and involves the examination and modelling of changes in the frequencies of genes and alleles in populations over space and time.
- Biological fitness: The ability of an individual to produce surviving, fertile offspring relative to that ability in other individuals in the population.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Inbreeding depression
- Wikipedia's article - Inbreeding depression
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