genetic load

noun

1. the extent to which a population deviates from the theoretically fittest genetic constitution.

genetic load

1. The aggregate of deleterious genes that are carried, mostly hidden, in the genome of a population and may be transmitted to descendants. Inbreeding usually causes an increase in genetic load.

Word History and Origins

Origin of genetic load¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

This comprehensive genomic roadmap is providing critical clues into the population-level diversity, genetic load and disease susceptibility of Corvus hawaiiensis.

From Scientific American

Recombination in diverse maize is stable, predictable, and associated with genetic load.

From Nature

Mutation rate dynamics in a bacterial population reflect tension between adaptation and genetic load.

From Nature

“With additional specimens, drawn from other times and parts of the woolly mammoths’ enormous range, we may get a better picture of the genetic load that this species was labouring under at the end of its tenure.”

From Nature

Eucalypts are preferentially outcrossing with late-acting post-zygotic self-incompatibility resulting in outcrossing rates that can exceed 90%1, high levels of nucleotide variation23, 24 and accumulation of genetic load and expression of inbreeding depression4.

From Nature