Assortative mating
Assortative Mating
Assortative mating (pronunciation: /əˈsɔːtətɪv ˈmeɪtɪŋ/) is a mating pattern and a form of sexual selection in which individuals with similar phenotypes mate with one another more frequently than would be expected under a random mating pattern.
Etymology
The term "assortative mating" is derived from the English word "assortative", which means to sort or classify, and the word "mating", which refers to the pairing of individuals for the purpose of reproduction.
Definition
Assortative mating is a concept in evolutionary biology and genetics that describes the tendency of like to mate with like. This can be based on physical traits, such as size or color, or on non-physical traits, such as behavior or personality. Assortative mating can lead to increased genetic relatedness within families and can influence the genetic structure of a population.
Types of Assortative Mating
There are two main types of assortative mating: positive assortative mating and negative assortative mating.
- Positive assortative mating occurs when individuals with similar traits mate with each other more frequently than would be expected by chance. This can lead to an increase in the proportion of individuals in a population that have similar traits.
- Negative assortative mating occurs when individuals with dissimilar traits mate with each other more frequently than would be expected by chance. This can lead to an increase in the proportion of individuals in a population that have dissimilar traits.
Related Terms
- Sexual selection: A mode of natural selection where members of one biological sex choose mates of the other sex to mate with, and compete with members of the same sex for access to members of the opposite sex.
- Genetic drift: Variation in the relative frequency of different genotypes in a small population, owing to the chance disappearance of particular genes as individuals die or do not reproduce.
- Inbreeding: The production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically.
- Outbreeding: The practice of introducing unrelated genetic material into a breeding line. It increases genetic diversity, thus reducing the probability of an individual being subject to disease or genetic abnormalities.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Assortative mating
- Wikipedia's article - Assortative mating
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