Assertion : Inbreeding increases homozygosity, thus exposes harmful recessive genes, which are eliminated by selection. Reason : Continued inbreeding reduces fertility and productivity.

Step-by-step solution

When the offsprings are produced by self fertilization or breeding between closely related parents it is called inbreeding. Inbreeding results in increase in homozygosity. The most revealing impact of inbreeding is the loss of vigour and physiological efficiency of the organisms characterized by reduction in size. A number of lethal and defective characters appear in the population which has undergone inbreeding (selfing). This loss of fitness in the progenies or decline in character expression with decreased heter