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On the heritability of developmental stability
Author(s) -
Swaddle J. P.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1420-9101.1997.10010057.x
Subject(s) - ornithology , biology , library science , citation , unit (ring theory) , heritability , genealogy , evolutionary biology , ecology , history , computer science , psychology , mathematics education , southern hemisphere
Mo*ller and Thornhill (1997) assessed the heritability of developmental stabilityby a meta-analysis of all published (and some unpublished) heritability estimates ofuctuating asymmetry in bilateral traits. From a limited number of these studiesthey also calculated the additive genetic coefcient of variation (CVA). Theusefulness of CVA is that it may correct for covariance between phenotypicvariation and trait size (Houle, 1992). In eight out of the thirty-two studies thatthey reported, there was a statistically signicant estimate of heritability. Twenty-eight of these studies, representing fteen species, were entered into a meta-analysis.From this analysis, Mo*ller and Thornhill (1997) concluded that there was asignicant additive genetic component to development stability, but this componentwas relatively small. They also found that the CVA is approximately eight timeslarger for developmental stability than for trait size. In this manuscript I wish tohighlight some of the benets and limitations of this analysis, its implications andto suggest alternative approaches to the study of heritability of developmentalstability that may prove useful.