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THE EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABILITY ON THE HERITABILITIES OF TRAITS OF A FIELD CRICKET
Author(s) -
Simons Andrew M.,
Roff Derek A.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.84
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1558-5646
pISSN - 0014-3820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1994.tb02201.x
Subject(s) - heritability , biology , trait , variance (accounting) , statistics , variance components , genetic variation , gene–environment interaction , ecology , genetic correlation , environmental effect , quantitative genetics , evolutionary biology , mathematics , environmental impact assessment , genetics , accounting , computer science , gene , genotype , business , programming language
The presence of heritable variation in traits is a prerequisite for evolution. The great majority of heritability ( h 2 ) estimates are performed under laboratory conditions that are characterized by low levels of environmental variability. Very little is known about the effect of environmental variability on the estimation of components of quantitative variation, although theoretical extrapolations from lab studies have been attempted. Here we investigate the effects of environmental heterogeneity on variance component estimation using full‐sib families of Gryllus pennsylvanicus split between a homogeneous laboratory environment and a more variable field environment. Although large standard errors prevent demonstration of statistically significant differences among h 2 of traits measured in the two environments for all but one trait, the values of h 2 are, on average, lower in the variable field environment, with a mean reduction of 19%. Developmental time is an exception, exhibiting high levels of additive variance in the field, leading to a higher value of h 2 in the variable environment. Underlying the lower field h 2 estimates are greater components of environmental variance as expected, as well as lower components of genetic variance. In this study, there is no evidence that the increase in the environmental component of variance in the field is any more important in the reduction of h 2 than is the decrease in the additive genetic component. The implications of the relative changes in the two components of variance are discussed.