disassortative mating

[dis-uh-sawr-tuh-tiv]

noun

Animal Behavior, Psychology.

1. the reproductive pairing of individuals that have traits more dissimilar than would likely be the case if mating were random (assortative mating ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of disassortative mating¹

dis- ¹ + assort + -ative

Example Sentences

It looked like disassortative mating maintained the two morphs in equal proportions in the population, because Mendelian inheritance ensures that, on average, half the offspring of a white–tan pair will inherit the inverted version of chromosome 2.

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This would prove that the white and tan morphs were using true disassortative mating, so that all pairs were white–tan.

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A leading hypothesis is that such “disassortative” mating will produce offspring with greater diversity in their MHC genes that will protect them against a broader range of pathogens.

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