Outbreeding increases which of the following?

Explanation

The correct answer is option 'B', 'heterozygosity'. Outbreeding increases heterozygosity by encouraging the mixing of different alleles, which enhances genetic variation and can improve the fitness of a population. This increased variation allows populations to better adapt to environmental changes and reduce the likelihood of expressing deleterious recessive alleles. Option 'A', 'homozygosity', is incorrect because outbreeding typically reduces homozygosity. Option 'C', 'gene linkage', is unaffected by outbreeding as it is related to the proximity of genes on a chromosome. Option 'D', 'gene pool', refers to the collection of genes within a population, and while outbreeding can influence it, the direct effect of outbreeding is an increase in heterozygosity.