In: Biology
What are the advantages and disadvantages of evidence used in studying heritability?
Heritability in any population can be investigated through variation of genotype over phenotype.
H (Heritability) =Vg/Vp
Advantage: Best population is to examine this process is twins as they exhibits very little to none variation (monozygotic or dizygotic), where monozygotic is best to do such kind of study. So, it is beneficial to examine monozygotic or identical twins where you will observe 100% heritability as both twin pairs share 100% homology and there would be genotypic or phenotypic variations between two individual.
Disadvantage: Even twins don't have any difference but still environmental factor is important in monozygotic twin, several epigenetic modifications can cause significant variation and environmental factors light feeding having, social life and education can greatly influence their life. For example: cancer and cardiovascular disease in only one of the twins who eat high fat diet, alcohol consumption and smoking habit as compared to its counter part.