On the reliability of a simple method for scoring phenotypes to estimate heritability: a case study with pupal color in Heliconius erato phyllis, Fabricius 1775 (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)
Genet. mol. biol
;
32(1): 186-189, 2009. tab
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-505794
ABSTRACT
In this paper, two methods for assessing the degree of melanization of pupal exuviae from the butterfly Heliconius erato phyllis, Fabricius 1775 (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Heliconiini) are compared. In the first method, which was qualitative, the exuviae were classified by scoring the degree of melanization, whereas in the second method, which was quantitative, the exuviae were classified by optical density followed by analysis with appropriate software. The heritability (h2 ) of the degree of melanization was estimated by regression and analysis of variance. The estimates of h 2 were similar with both methods, indicating that the qualitative method could be particularly suitable for field work. The low estimates obtained for heritability may have resulted from the small sample size (n = 7-18 broods, including the parents) or from the allocation-priority hypothesis in which pupal color would be a lower priority trait compared to morphological traits and adequate larval development.
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Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Phenotype
/
Butterflies
/
Pigmentation
Type of study:
Qualitative research
Limits:
Animals
Language:
English
Journal:
Genet. mol. biol
Journal subject:
Genetics
Year:
2009
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Brazil
Institution/Affiliation country:
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul/BR
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