Difference Between Hybrid and Purebred

Last Updated : Sep 6, 2022 / By Sandeep Bhandari / Fact Checked / 3 mins

Hybrids are animals that are the result of a cross between two animals or two breeds of the same animal. They are the resulting offspring of the two heterozygous parents. The offspring receives their genes from two different parents having different kinds of genes.

Purebred are the animals who have genes belonging to a single gene of parents. They are the resulting offspring of the two homozygous parents and receives their own genes from their homozygous parents.

Comparison Table Between Hybrid and Purebred

Parameters of Comparison	Hybrid	Purebred
Meaning	Hybrid is the resulting offspring of the cross of two heterozygous parents.	Purebred is the resulting offspring of the mating between two homozygous parents.
Genotype	Different from that of their parents.	Similar genes as that of the parents.
Phenotype	Different from that of their parents due to the gene cross.	Same phenotype as that of parents.
Category	Inter-specific and Intra-specific.	Intra-specific only.
Importance	Improvement in required characteristics by fusing the characteristic allele.	Helps in the continuation of the specific species or the specific breed.
Examples	Mules (a cross between horse and donkey).   Hybrid pea plants will have purple flowers when the alleles are Pp as the dominant trait takes over.	Kitten, whose parents are both Siamese.   Purebred pea plants will have white flowers when the alleles are pp as the recessive trait takes over and when bear purple flowers when alleles are PP.

What is Hybrid?

Hybrids are animals that are the resulting offspring of a cross between two animals or two breeds of the same animal. They are supposed to have two heterozygous parents.

Hybrids are organisms that have two different organisms as their parents. This is often done to improve the genetic quality of individuals, whether it be plants or animals.

There are many types of hybrid. The most common hybrid are those produced by crossbreeding between two species of the same animal. The second type includes a hybrid between the different subspecies such as inter-familial, inter-generic, and intra-specific. 

The third type of hybrids is those that are produced to improvise a certain characteristic or to induce a new characteristic, such as in milk production, wool production, heat tolerance, etc.

What is Purebred?

Purebred are the animals having genes that belong to parents of similar genetic orientation. They are the resulting offspring of the two homozygous parents and have genes from their homozygous parents.

These are denoted as the true-breeding product where the like species are mated. Purebred have predictable, repeatable, and reliable fundamental characteristics, which are easy to find out by their parents.

The undesirable traits, when present in offspring, may result from the conjugation. Purebred offspring are very susceptible to various types of congenital health issues.

Main Differences Between Hybrid and Purebred

1. Hybrids can be both intra-specific and inter-specific, but purebreds are intra-specific.
2. Purebreds are true breeders, while hybrids are not.

Conclusion

Hybrids are crossbreeds of heterozygous parents, while purebreds are true breeders. They are the result of the mating of two homozygous parents. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Hybrids have a lot of advantages over purebred as they can be produced according to the characteristic desired, such as disease resistance, heat tolerance, etc. While hybrids are a combination of two distinct elements, purebreds continue to preserve their original identity.

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378432003000654 
2. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/7/1149