Suppose that a population of bees is being studied in terms of the rate at which

Question

Suppose that a population of bees is being studied in terms of the rate at which they obtain nectar (their "loading rate").

It is found that loading rates range from 3 µl/s (microliters per second) to 10 µl/s with a mean value of 5 µl/s (the data are not normally distributed). Suppose that a group of bees that gather nectar at an average of 9.5 µl/s are allowed to breed and their offspring's (the F1) visit times are scored and found to range from 4.2 to 11.3 µl/s with a mean of 8.7 µl/s.

Calculate the narrow sense heritability.

Explanation / Answer

Narrow sense variability = The extent to which a given trait is passed from a parent to progeny expressed as VA/VP.
h2 = Selection response/Selection differential

From the given data,
Selection differential = Mean of entire population - Mean of breeders
= 9.5 - 5.0
= 4.5 uL/sec

Selection response = Mean of previous generation - mean of progeny of the breeders
= 8.8 - 5.0
= 3.7 uL/sec

h2 = 3.7/4.5
= 0.822

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