genetic load

American  

noun

1. the extent to which a population deviates from the theoretically fittest genetic constitution.

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genetic load Scientific  

1. The aggregate of deleterious genes that are carried, mostly hidden, in the genome of a population and may be transmitted to descendants. Inbreeding usually causes an increase in genetic load.

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Etymology

Origin of genetic load

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Recombination in diverse maize is stable, predictable, and associated with genetic load.

From Nature • Mar. 13, 2018

Eucalypts are preferentially outcrossing with late-acting post-zygotic self-incompatibility resulting in outcrossing rates that can exceed 90%1, high levels of nucleotide variation23, 24 and accumulation of genetic load and expression of inbreeding depression4.

From Nature • Jun. 10, 2014

The genetic architecture of genetic load and contribution of individual loci to inbreeding depression are largely unknown for woody perennials and present a barrier to rapid domestication via recurrent inbred mating.

From Nature • Jun. 10, 2014