Quantitative Genetics Key Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards for reviewing quantitative genetics principles.

Correlation Coefficient

Quantifies the strength of association between two variables, ranging from -1 to 1.

1

A correlation coefficient close to this value implies a strong positive relationship between variables.

-1

A correlation coefficient close to this value indicates a strong negative relationship between variables.

Quantitative Traits

Traits characterized by a continuous distribution, influenced by multiple genes and environmental factors.

Polygenic

The influence of multiple genes on a trait.

Heritability

Proportion of phenotypic variance attributable to genetic differences in a population.

Total Variance

The sum of genetic variance and environmental variance.

Additive Variance

Effects of individual alleles on genetic variance.

Dominance Variance

Interactions between alleles on genetic variance.

Environmental Variance

Non-genetic factors affecting phenotype, such as climate and soil quality.

Selection Limit

Point where further selective breeding does not lead to significant improvements.