Outbreeding refers to the mating of individuals that are genetically unrelated. This can be within the same species but from different populations or even between different species (in the case of hybridization).

Here's a breakdown:

* Inbreeding: Mating of closely related individuals, leading to increased homozygosity (having two identical copies of a gene) and potential for harmful recessive traits to be expressed.

* Outbreeding: Mating of unrelated individuals, leading to increased heterozygosity (having two different copies of a gene) and potentially greater genetic diversity, which can be beneficial for adaptation and survival.

Essentially, inbreeding leads to a decrease in genetic diversity, while outbreeding increases it.