Inbreeding: one word, several meanings, much confusion

Three different biological meanings of inbreeding are discussed: 1) inbreeding as a measure of shared ancestry in the paternal and maternal lineages of an individual; 2) inbreeding as a measure of genetic drift in a finite population; and 3) inbreeding as a measure of system of mating in a reproducing population. The distinction and use of these different measures of inbreeding are discussed and illustrated with the North American captive population of Speke's gazelle Gazella spekei. -from Authors