Question

A farmer wants to interbreed only white peacocks, since he can sell them for more money than the regular peacocks! What is the best question to ask to determine the effects of

interbreeding the white peacocks?

Answer 1

Are there risks of mutations by interbreeding?

Step-by-step explanation:

Selective breeding can be defined as the production of offspring by the mating of organisms in a given group to obtain desired phenotypic characteristics. White peacocks are closely related individuals that have a genetic mutation (leucism) that produces the lack of pigmentation in their plumage. It is well known that interbreeding between close relatives (inbreeding) increases the risk of recessive genetic disorders because organisms that are genetically closely related have more chances to carry a copy of the same recessive genes, which may or not contain recessive deleterious mutations. In consequence, in this case, it seems reasonable to ask if there risks of negative impacts caused by recessive deleterious mutations.