What does inter se mating refer to?

Inter se mating specifically refers to breeding between closely related individuals, such as a brother and sister. This practice is commonly used in animal husbandry to maintain desirable traits within a specific breed or strain. By mating siblings, breeders aim to enhance uniformity in offspring and potentially fix beneficial genetic traits.

This method, however, does require careful management to avoid inbreeding depression, which can occur if genetic diversity is too limited. As a result, inter se mating is typically part of a broader breeding strategy that also considers other mating practices to maintain a healthy gene pool.

The other options represent different types of mating scenarios but do not accurately define inter se mating. For example, mating between rabbits of different breeds and breeding rabbits that are not related involve genetic diversity rather than the close genetic relationship characteristic of inter se mating. Mating between a mother and her offspring is a form of inbreeding known as line breeding, which also differs from what inter se specifically entails.