In breeding amongst deer and other herd animals

[kenbro]

Our local Cob (Swan not horse) got killed a few years back and the following year the Penn mated with one of her sons from a previous clutch.
That have produced healthy looking swans every year since.
Ps. I don’t think these are deer or other herd animals

 

[Bo Diddley]

When it all goes splendidly, we shall call it "Line Breeding"

When it all goes wrong, we shall call it "Inbreeding"

Charles Darwin....

 

[Mungo]

When it all goes splendidly, we shall call it "Line Breeding"

When it all goes wrong, we shall call it "Inbreeding"

Charles Darwin....

I don’t think there’s any record of Darwin using the term ‘line breeding’, though he very much understood the approach - and the consequences.

I think it’s useful to make a distinction between the general term ‘inbreeding’, which is any mating between relatives (for whatever reason), and line breeding, which is deliberate and controlled inbreeding by humans aimed at achieving a particular phenotype.

Inbreeding can occur naturally, and in vertebrates is most often associated with poor fitness in the offspring. Line breeding does not occur naturally, and can eventually lead to higher fitness, but there are many poor quality individuals culled to get there.

 

[Heym SR20]

Thanks for all your inputs. Interesting discussion.

Regarding domestic animals, we as a species through careful selective breeding have certainly altered the various species so that they are very different to the wild ancestors.

However once they go feral it doesn’t seem to take many generations before they revert to “wild type”. But I suspect many modern high performance breeds probably wouldn’t last very long in the wild.

 

[shakey jake]

When it all goes splendidly, we shall call it "Line Breeding"

When it all goes wrong, we shall call it "Inbreeding"

Charles Darwin....

Wasnt darwin born from wedgewoods only two granchildren, first cousins.
Did he know more about it

 

[Mungo]

Wasnt darwin born from wedgewoods only two granchildren, first cousins.
Did he know more about it

He felt enormous guilt in later life after he started to fully understand the effects of inbreeding.

His favourite daughter (Anne) died at 10, and he felt that part of the reason she succumbed was because he and his wife (Emma) were cousins.

 

[shakey jake]

He felt enormous guilt in later life after he started to fully understand the effects of inbreeding.

His favourite daughter (Anne) died at 10, and he felt that part of the reason she succumbed was because he and his wife (Emma) were cousins.

Thats why you shouldnt have favourites!
Or hot cousins

 

[Ratel]

He felt enormous guilt in later life after he started to fully understand the effects of inbreeding.

His favourite daughter (Anne) died at 10, and he felt that part of the reason she succumbed was because he and his wife (Emma) were cousins.

I'm afraid that this is common in certain cultures that have moved to this country, where it is recognised that you marry a cousin.