In: Biology
Fruitflies have lots of tiny hairs called bristles on their abdomens, and the
inheritance of fruitfly bristle number has occupied quantitative geneticists for
many years. In a large laboratory population, the mean of bristle number is 18
and the variance for bristle number is 45. Within an inbred line, the variance for
bristle number is 20. What is your estimate for the heritability of bristle number
in fruitflies?
Now think about those bristles a bit more. Suppose you take the same lab
population and choose flies to breed that have on average 16 bristles on their
abdomens. What is the selection coefficient? How do you expect their offspring
to differ from a) the lab population and b) their parents?
Answer:
Based on the given information:
1) Estimate for heritability can be determined as below:
2) Now think about those bristles a bit more. Suppose you take the same lab population and choose flies to breed that have on average 16 bristles on their abdomens. What is the selection coefficient? How do you expect their offspring to differ from a) the lab population and b) their parents?
Average number of bristles on abdomens on flies selected to breed = 16
Selection Coefficient can be determined as below:
R = h2*S, where:
R = the response to selection
( the change in the mean of the trait in a population after
selection)
h2 =
heritability
S = the selection coefficient (the
difference in the mean of the trait for the original population and
mean of the trait for the population of individuals selected for
breeding)
S = Mean of bristle number in original population - mean of the trait for the population of individuals selected for breeding = 18 - 16 = 2