Divergent Selection under Two Nutritional Environments for Packed Erythrocyte Volume in Japanese Quail

Two-way selection for two-week packed erythrocyte volume (PCV) was practiced for four generations under two nutritional environments in the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). One environment was an iron, copper-"adequate" diet and the other was iron, copper-deficient "stress" diet. Response to selection was greater in both directions under the adequate environment than under the stress environment. After four generations of selection there were 29% and 18% differences between the high and low lines under the adequate and the stress environments, respectively. An asymmetry of response was observed toward the low line under the adequate environment and toward the high line under the stress environment. The realized heritability estimates for the high and low Fe-Cu-adequate lines were.26 and.35, respectively, while those for the high and low Fe-Cu-deficient lines were.16 and.06, respectively.