A student who has just learned about quantitative genetics says, “Heritability estimates are worthless! They don’t tell you anything about the genes that affect a characteristic. They don’t provide any information about the types of offspring to expect from a cross. Heritability estimates measured in one population can’t be used for other populations, so they don’t even give you any general information about how much of a characteristic is genetically determined. Heritabilities don’t do anything but make undergraduate students sweat during tests.” How would you respond to this statement? Is the student correct? What good are heritabilities, and why do geneticists bother to calculate them?

There is a column for each of the Big Five traits below. Within each column is a list of potential biological basis. For each big five trait, select the appropriate biological basis by clicking on the biological basis words.

Why do traits with a higher heritability tend to evolve faster? Unlike monogenic traits, quantitative traits can make new phenotypes that weren't seen before in a population. How is this possible without mutation? Why don't rabbits evolve wings to help escape from predators? Use the term "uphill" in your answer Phenotypic plasticity seems like a very beneficial quality to have, so why aren't all traits plastic? Give an example of an environment that promotes a dynamic adaptive landscape

The white spotting is caused by the S gene (“S” stands for spotting), which has 2 alleles: big S (spotting) and little s (no spotting). The big S allele is dominant, so if there is at least one S allele (SS or Ss), the cat will have white spots. Calix has white spots, so he definitely has at least one big S allele. The rest of the fur color is controlled by the O gene that also has 2 alleles: big O (orange fur) and little o (black fur). The O gene is on the X chromosome. Males only have one X chromosome, so they can only have one allele for the O gene. They can either be orange (O) or black (o). Females have two X chromosomes, so they can have two alleles for the O gene. If they have two O alleles (OO), they are orange. If they have two o alleles (oo), they are black. If they have one of each allele (Oo), they have both orange and black fur.   female: XX male:XY   Which of the following fur colors are possible in males? Choose all that apply. Remember that the S gene for white spots is…

You are selecting for mice with high blood glucose levels. The population has a mean level of 50mg/100mL and you select parents that have mean level of 55mg/100mL. The offspring have a mean level of 53mg/100mL. Estimate the narrow-sense heritability of this trait from these data.

You are a zoologist working with Giraffes. Their main traits are: Grey tongues (G+), Rudimentary Horns (R+), Long necks (L+) . You perform the following testcross with an individual with recessive versions of all 3 of the traits. P: G+ R+ L+/G+ R+ L+   x G R L /G R L F1(all identical): G+ R+ L+/G R L What this the distance between G and R? What is the distance between G and L? What is the distance between R and L? What is the correct order of the genes on the chromosome? (5 points) (Hints: You should draw it first. The overall order will not change whether reading from the left or the right side of the chromosome).  a. G--R--L b. L--G--R c. G--L--R

How would you respond to someone who said that models are useless in studying population genetics because they represent oversimplifications of the real world?

Which of the following is true?   Question 10 options:   a)  A person's phenotype is a trait that is the result of the environment only.   b)  A person's phenotype is a trait that is the result of genes only.   c)  A person's phenotype is a trait that is the result of genes and the environment.   d)  A person's genotype is a trait that is the result of genes and the environment.

The recessive allele that causes Ellis– van Creveld syndrome when homozygous has a frequency of about 0.07 in the Amish population of Pennsylvania, although its frequency is only about 0.001 in the generalpopulation. How many persons out of one thousand in the Amish population would be expected to have the disease? How many out of one million in the general population?

Last summer you were walking in the woods when you stumbled upon a group of four tiny baby squirrels. You noticed that they all had different tail lengths. Curious, you decided to measure the tail lengths of the four squirrels. Their tail lengths were found to be: 30 mm, 38 mm, 32 mm, and 28 mm. The heritability for tails in squirrels is 0.33. (This is a fraction, not percent.) What is the variance due to the difference in environment (VE)? Round to two decimals and do not include units.