Definition
noun
The act or process of producing offspring by mating purebred individuals of different breeds or varieties
Supplement
Crossbreeding is defined as the process or the act of producing offspring particularly through mating two purebred individuals but come from different breeds, varieties, or even species. When it is usually done with the intent of producing offspring that would acquire desired traits of the parent lineages the process is specifically referred to as designer crossbreeding. This is commonly practiced by breeders, especially when the desired traits would be beneficial to the offspring, such as when its biological fitness is enhanced. An example of such type of breeding is a cross between two known breeds of dogs. Through planned crossbreeding, crossbred dogs with increased vigor have become popularly referred to as designer dogs. Although crossbreeding does result in producing better offspring and expanding the genetic pool, cautionary measures should still be upheld. An irresponsible crossbreeding may also produce animals of inferior quality and could weaken purebred gene pool.
Crossbreeding is sometimes used synonymously with hybridization. In particular though, hybridization is a process to produce offspring (referred to as hybrid) by crossing two parents of different species.
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Related form(s):
- crossbreed (verb, noun)
- crossbred (adjective, noun)
