Final answer:
Inbreeding with more distant relatives can lead to the accumulation of harmful mutations, resulting in detrimental phenotypes. This is known as inbreeding depression. Close relatives often have similar genetic makeup, increasing the likelihood of expressing harmful recessive mutations in offspring.
Step-by-step explanation:
Inbreeding can also occur by mating with more distant relatives. This process can lead to the accumulation of rare, deleterious mutations in the offspring, which can result in harmful phenotypes. Inbreeding increases the likelihood of expressing recessive mutations that may cause abnormalities and susceptibility to diseases.
For example, when closely related individuals mate, the chances of inheriting the same recessive mutation from both parents increase. If the mutation causes a harmful phenotype, such as a genetic disease, the offspring will be more likely to express that disease. This is known as inbreeding depression.
Inbreeding depression occurs because close relatives often have similar genetic makeup, which means they may carry the same harmful recessive mutations. When these individuals mate, there is a higher chance of those mutations being expressed in the offspring, leading to reduced fitness and increased susceptibility to diseases.