assortative mating


noun Animal Behavior, Psychology.

the reproductive pairing of individuals that have more traits in common than would likely be the case if mating were random (contrasted with disassortative mating).
Compare panmixia.

Origin of assortative mating

First recorded in 1895–1900

Words nearby assortative mating

Medical definitions for assortative mating

assortative mating
[ ə-sôrtə-tĭv ]

n.

Nonrandom mating in which individuals mate preferentially according to phenotype.