Inbreeding depression is a term used to describe the negative effects of breeding closely related individuals. As inbreeding reduces genetic diversity, it can lead to a decrease in overall fitness and performance of the population. Synonyms for inbreeding depression include inbreeding collapse, inbreeding depression syndrome, genetic load, homozygosity, and genetic erosion. These terms describe different aspects of the same phenomenon and focus on different aspects of the negative effects associated with inbreeding. In all cases, the key message is to avoid inbreeding when possible, as it can lead to long-term genetic problems in any given population.