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Related Concept Videos

Polygenic Traits01:18

Polygenic Traits

When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...
Polygenic Traits01:18

Polygenic Traits

When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...
What is Population Genetics?01:25

What is Population Genetics?

A population is composed of members of the same species that simultaneously live and interact in the same area. When individuals in a population breed, they pass down their genes to their offspring. Many of these genes are polymorphic, meaning that they occur in multiple variants. Such variations of a gene are referred to as alleles. The collective set of all the alleles within a population is known as the gene pool.While some alleles of a given gene might be observed commonly, other variants...
Incomplete Dominance01:43

Incomplete Dominance

Gregor Mendel's work (1822 - 1884) was primarily focused on pea plants. Through his initial experiments, he determined that every gene in a diploid cell has two variants called alleles inherited from each parent. He suggested that amongst these two alleles, one allele is dominant in character and the other recessive. The combination of alleles determines the phenotype of a gene in an organism.
Genetic Screens02:46

Genetic Screens

Genetic screens are tools used to identify genes and mutations responsible for phenotypes of interest. Genetic screens help identify individuals or a group of people at risk of developing  genetic diseases and help them with early intervention, targeted therapy, and reproductive options.
Forward genetic screens
Forward or “classical” genetic screens involve creating random mutations in an organism’s DNA using radiation, mutagens, or insertion of additional bases, which result in visible changes...
Hardy-Weinberg Principle01:49

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

Diploid organisms have two alleles of each gene, one from each parent, in their somatic cells. Therefore, each individual contributes two alleles to the gene pool of the population. The gene pool of a population is the sum of every allele of all genes within that population and has some degree of variation. Genetic variation is typically expressed as a relative frequency, which is the percentage of the total population that has a given allele, genotype or phenotype.In the early 20th century,...

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A Quantitative Fitness Analysis Workflow
11:39

A Quantitative Fitness Analysis Workflow

Published on: August 13, 2012

A centennial celebration for quantitative genetics.

Derek A Roff1

  • 1Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA. derek.roff@ucr.edu

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|May 12, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Quantitative genetics is crucial for predicting evolutionary change in wild populations. Further research is needed on gene interactions and the evolution of genetic matrices for improved predictive models.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Quantitative Genetics
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Quantitative genetics has a long history and is essential for understanding evolutionary theory.
  • Genetic variation can be assessed in natural populations and at the DNA transcription level.
  • Predicting evolutionary change is a key application, especially in wild populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current issues in quantitative genetics relevant to evolutionary theory.
  • To discuss the utility of quantitative genetics in describing and predicting genetic variation and evolutionary change.
  • To examine the role of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) analysis, gene action, and selection experiments.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature and theoretical frameworks in quantitative genetics.

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  • Analysis of findings from Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) studies.
  • Examination of bivariate selection experiments and their predictive power.

    • Main Results:

    • Quantitative genetics effectively describes genetic variation and excels at predicting evolutionary change in natural populations.
    • QTL analyses suggest skewed genetic effects, involvement of numerous loci, and significant epistasis, complicating predictions.
    • The multivariate breeder's equation often fails to predict outcomes of bivariate selection experiments, especially under antagonistic selection.

    Conclusions:

    • While useful for describing variation, quantitative genetics' strength lies in predicting evolutionary trajectories.
    • Identifying specific genes is challenging due to complex gene interactions; quantitative genetic models remain powerful predictors.
    • Further theoretical and empirical research on the evolution of G and P matrices, alongside combined selection and functional analyses, is critical.