Blog Post Module 6

Inbreeding: 

    Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the breeding of individuals that are genetically closely related to one another. According to the internet, it says that assortative mating is where individuals with similar genetic makeup mate with each other more frequently than a random mating pattern. A benefit of inbreeding could be in the circumstance where two organisms are both genetically fit for its own environment and thrive under those circumstances. Those two organisms can mate, and create an offspring that has a great overall fitness to survive in that habitat as well. This could create a larger population. 

    Inbreeding also has some negative effects as well. Disassortative mating is a pattern in which individuals with very different phenotypes mate with one another more frequently than random mating. This reduces the genetic similarities in a population and produces more heterozygotes. Some of the negative effects that disassortative mating brings could be slower growth, shorter lifespan, fewer offspring, birth defects, and much more. It seems that this can cause mutations that would not benefit the organism, ultimately making the organism less fit for the environment they are living in. 



Comments

  1. Lauren LeikerOctober 14, 2021 at 1:23 PM

    Hi there Megan! I really like how you brought in the positives and negatives of inbreeding. You did a great job at looking at inbreeding from both perspectives. I liked your point of how inbreeding can create offspring that can thrive in certain environments, however, inbreeding can also be detrimental as it causes birth defects and shorter lifespans. Great work!

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