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Related Concept Videos

Genetic Variation01:25

Genetic Variation

Genetic variation is the diversity in DNA sequences found among individuals of the same species. This diversity is crucial for a species' survival because it helps organisms adapt to environmental changes. Genetic variation begins with fertilization, where an egg and sperm cell merge. Each of these cells carries 23 chromosomes, up to 46 in the fertilized egg. Chromosomes are long DNA strands that contain genes, the basic units of heredity.
Genes exist in different versions called alleles, which...
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...
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...
Comparing Copy Number Variations and SNPs02:26

Comparing Copy Number Variations and SNPs

Sequencing of the human genome has opened up several best-kept secrets of the genome. Scientists have identified thousands of genome variations that exist within a population. These variations can be a single nucleotide or a larger chromosomal variation.
Copy number variations or CNVs are the structural variations that cover more than 1kb of DNA sequence. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), on the other hand, is a single nucleotide change or a point mutation that is found in more than 1%...
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift01:09

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).Mechanisms of Genetic VariationThe original sources of genetic variation are mutations,...

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Genetic Mapping of Thermotolerance Differences Between Species of Saccharomyces Yeast via Genome-Wide Reciprocal Hemizygosity Analysis
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Genetic Mapping of Thermotolerance Differences Between Species of Saccharomyces Yeast via Genome-Wide Reciprocal Hemizygosity Analysis

Published on: August 12, 2019

Understanding and using quantitative genetic variation.

William G Hill1

  • 1Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. w.g.hill@ed.ac.uk

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|December 17, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Quantitative genetics studies complex traits using statistical models. New genomic methods improve prediction for breeding, showing high potential for genetic improvement.

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Area of Science:

  • Quantitative genetics and the genetics of complex traits.

Background:

  • Complex traits are influenced by numerous genes, not just a few major ones.
  • Statistical models form the basis of quantitative genetics, despite strong underlying assumptions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the architecture of complex traits using dense molecular markers.
  • To develop new prediction methods for breeding programs incorporating genomic information.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of complex traits using dense molecular markers.
  • Development of numerical methods for prediction incorporating genomic data.
  • Examination of long-term selection responses in laboratory experiments.

Main Results:

  • Dense molecular markers increase understanding of trait architecture, but many genes are needed to explain variation.
  • New prediction methods combining numerical approaches and genomic information are effective.
  • Laboratory selection experiments demonstrate high prospects for continued genetic improvement.

Conclusions:

  • Statistical and numerical methods, particularly those incorporating genomic information, are crucial for quantitative genetics.
  • Future research needs better estimates of trait covariances and their relation to fitness in natural populations.
  • Summary statistics and prediction-based methods are likely to dominate quantitative genetics research.