inbreeding

American  

[in-bree-ding] / ˈɪnˌbri dɪŋ /

noun

Biology.

1. the mating of closely related individuals, as cousins, sire-daughter, brother-sister, or self-fertilized plants, which tends to increase the number of individuals that are homozygous for a trait and therefore increases the appearance of recessive traits.

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inbreeding Scientific  

/ ĭn′brē′dĭng /

1. The breeding or mating of related individuals within an isolated or closed group of organisms or people. Inbreeding can result in inbreeding depression. However, in agriculture and animal husbandry, the continued breeding of closely related individuals can help to preserve desirable traits in a stock.

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Etymology

Origin of inbreeding

First recorded in 1835–45; inbreed + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

In Southern California, lions have shown deformities from inbreeding, including kinked tails and malformed sperm.

From Los Angeles Times

This dispersal, as it's known, plays a role in avoiding inbreeding, spreading gene diversity and shaping social relationships.

From BBC

"Our nature is very fragmented, due to railways and streets and cities. And this means we created a lot of barriers for the lynx, which leads to inbreeding," Dina says.

From BBC

In many species, inbreeding can reduce health and fitness.

From Los Angeles Times

Genetics determines where they end up, to diminish the risks of inbreeding or disease.

From BBC