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. 2025 Jan-Dec;96(1):e70031.
doi: 10.1111/asj.70031.

Relationships Between Genetic Parameters in the Component Traits of a Ratio Trait and the Distribution and Heritability of Such Ratio Trait

Masahiro Satoh  1
Affiliations

Relationships Between Genetic Parameters in the Component Traits of a Ratio Trait and the Distribution and Heritability of Such Ratio Trait

Masahiro Satoh. Anim Sci J. 2025 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

The relationships between the distribution and heritability of a ratio trait and the genetic parameters of its component traits were clarified using a Monte Carlo computer simulation. The component traits of a ratio trait were assumed to be normally distributed. The genetic parameters of the ratio trait were estimated using parent-offspring regression. As the genetic and environmental correlations ( r G $$ {\mathrm{r}}_{\mathrm{G}} $$ and r E $$ {\mathrm{r}}_{\mathrm{E}} $$ ) of the component traits increased, the variance, skewness, and kurtosis of the ratio trait decreased. The amount of decrease had a greater effect on r E $$ {\mathrm{r}}_{\mathrm{E}} $$ than on r G $$ {\mathrm{r}}_{\mathrm{G}} $$ . The estimated heritability of the ratio trait decreased as r G $$ {\mathrm{r}}_{\mathrm{G}} $$ increased and as r E $$ {\mathrm{r}}_{\mathrm{E}} $$ decreased. The estimated heritability of a ratio trait can be higher than the heritability of any of its component traits.

Keywords: component traits; genetic parameter; heritability; phenotypic distribution; ratio trait.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The mean, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis as well as the standard deviations of the ratio trait (Trait 0) with the various means and CVs of the component traits (Traits 1 and 2).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
The distribution (mean, variance, skewness, and kurtosis, as well as their standard deviations) of the phenotypic values of the ratio trait (Trait 0) in G1.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
The breeding values and phenotypic values are jointly normally distributed (left) and the joint distribution is skewed (right).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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