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Inbreeding-beef cattle

Last Updated: May 22, 2012

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Inbreeding- The mating of individuals who are more closely related than the average individuals in a population. Inbreeding increases homozygosity in the population but it does not change gene frequency.

Two forms of inbreeding:

  • intensive inbreeding- the mating of closely related animals whose ancestors have been inbred for several generations
  • linebreeding- a mild form of inbreeding where inbreeding is kept relatively low while a high genetic relationship to an ancestor or a line of ancestors is maintained.

 

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