How Does Inbreeding Reduce Genetic Variation?

Inbreeding increases homozygosity, which can increase the chances of the expression of deleterious recessive alleles and therefore has the potential to decrease the fitness of the offspring. ... By inbreeding, individuals are further decreasing genetic variation by increasing homozygosity in the genomes of their offspring.

Why does inbreeding reduce variation?

By inbreeding, individuals are further decreasing genetic variation by increasing homozygosity in the genomes of their offspring. Thus, the likelihood of deleterious recessive alleles to pair is significantly higher in a small inbreeding population than in a larger inbreeding population.

Does inbreeding reduce genetic diversity?

At the population level, inbreeding decreases the effective population size and thus the population genetic variability¹⁵. A lack of genetic diversity is often associated with a decrease in the adaptive response of a population¹⁶ and can even lead to its extinction^17,18.