Heritability
Heritability
Heritability (/hɛrɪtəˈbɪlɪti/) is a statistical measure that describes how much of the variation in a phenotypic trait in a population is due to genetic variation among individuals in that population.
Etymology
The term "heritability" comes from the word "heritage", which refers to something that is passed down from previous generations. In the context of genetics, heritability refers to the proportion of observed differences in a particular trait that can be attributed to inherited genetic factors.
Definition
Heritability is a concept in genetics that describes the degree to which genetic differences contribute to differences in observed behavior or phenotype. It is a measure of how much of the variation in a trait can be attributed to genetic factors, as opposed to environmental factors or random chance.
Calculation
Heritability is calculated using statistical methods that compare the phenotypic similarity of related individuals to the phenotypic similarity of unrelated individuals. The most common method is the analysis of variance (ANOVA), which partitions the total phenotypic variance into genetic and environmental components.
Types of Heritability
There are two types of heritability: broad-sense and narrow-sense. Broad-sense heritability includes all genetic effects, while Narrow-sense heritability includes only additive genetic effects.
Related Terms
- Genotype: The genetic makeup of an individual.
- Phenotype: The observable characteristics of an individual.
- Genetic variance: The variation in a population that is due to genetic differences.
- Environmental variance: The variation in a population that is due to environmental differences.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Heritability
- Wikipedia's article - Heritability
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