Inbreeding depression in small populations can be influenced by the rate of inbreeding and the environment. A study with fruit flies found that inbreeding in a stressful environment reduced inbreeding depression, possibly due to more effective purging of harmful genes. Slow inbreeding reduced inbreeding depression in flies under high temperature stress, but not in benign or competitive environments. The environment had a bigger impact on inbreeding depression than the rate of inbreeding. Overall, inbreeding in a stressful environment can help reduce the negative effects of inbreeding.