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Background and Environment Affect Phenotype02:27

Background and Environment Affect Phenotype

Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
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Using Cholesky Decomposition to Explore Individual Differences in Longitudinal Relations between Reading Skills
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Phenotype-environment correlations in longitudinal twin models.

Christopher R Beam1, Eric Turkheimer

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400400, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA. crb8v@virginia.edu

Development and Psychopathology
|February 13, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Gene-environment correlation (rGE) drives changes in traits within families. Simulations show small phenotypic differences can alter environments, leading to significant trait mean shifts and increased heritability over time.

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Area of Science:

  • Behavioral genetics
  • Developmental psychology
  • Quantitative genetics

Background:

  • Gene-environment correlation (rGE) influences trait development both within and between families.
  • Accumulating rGE between families has been proposed to explain secular increases in phenotypic means, such as cognitive ability.
  • The Dickens and Flynn model illustrates how phenotype changes can lead to environmental resource reallocation, creating feedback loops.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether similar accumulating rGE processes operate within twin and sibling pairs.
  • To explore how within-family phenotype-environment interactions contribute to developmental changes in rGE and heritability.

Main Methods:

  • Computer simulations were used to model gene-environment correlation dynamics within families.
  • The simulations focused on dizygotic twins and siblings to examine effects of small phenotypic differences.

Main Results:

  • Simulations suggest that small phenotypic differences within families can lead to environmental resource reallocation.
  • These within-family processes can generate accumulating rGE, contributing to rapid sibling differentiation.
  • Phenotype-environment effects were shown to account for age-related increases in rGE and rising heritability estimates during development.

Conclusions:

  • Accumulating gene-environment correlation within families can significantly impact trait development.
  • Within-family rGE dynamics help explain developmental changes in heritability and sibling distinctiveness.
  • These findings highlight the importance of considering reciprocal phenotype-environment feedback in developmental and behavioral genetics.