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the genetic debt due to harmful mutation but as yet undischarged. (In a large population of fixed size every mutation with diminished genetic fitness will eventually become extinct, and depending on the details of inheritance and phenotype, must be paid for by a fixed number of genetic deaths per mutation, the genetic debt.)
1. The number of diseases and deaths that occur as a result of inherited traits.
2. The cost to the genome of mutations or selection pressure that eliminate alleles from it.