Question

Can somebody please answer these questions please!!!!

3. Lemon (1993) found the choice of foraging patch by zebra finches to have a heritability of 0.342.  What accounts for more of the variation in foraging patch choice in zebra finches, genetic or environmental factors? 2 points

4. Garland and Bennett (1990) found that heritability for ventricle mass and hemoglobin levels in garter snakes were 0.41, and 0.63; respectively.  If you were to pick one of these traits to try and influence via artificial selection, with which one would you expect lower success? Why? 2 points

5. You want to decrease the susceptibility to insects of the avocados you are growing in your greenhouse.  Your initial population has a mean infestation 16 insects. You select the 12 least infested plants to breed, whose mean infestation is 5 insects.  In the next generation, the mean of the population is 6 insects. A) What is the heritability of insect resistance?  B) Is resistance more environmentally or genetically controlled? 2 points

Answer 1

Ans 3) Environmental factor is more accountable for the foraging patch choice in the zebra finches as the heritability range is of 0.342. The heritability is something that starts from range of 0 and if it lies between 0 to 1, this means that heritability is caused due to genetic difference that leads to the appearance of the phenotypic characteristics. When the value is more closer to 0, this means that it has more to do with the environment influence rather than genetic influence or factors. Due to the heritability values of 0.342 the foraging patches choice by the zebra finches occurs due to environment factor.

Ans 4) The success rate via artificial selection is lower for genetic heritability for the ventricle mass as the value of the heritability is lower. The value for this is 0.41 and on comparing it with the value of heritability of the hemoglobin levels that 0.63, it is less and hence defines the reason for the lower success rate.. In case of the ventricle mass, it has very less genetic contribution and hence the success with help of artificial selection is less.