Selection on Copulation Duration in Drosophila melanogaster: Predictability of Direct Response Versus Unpredictability of Correlated Response

AbstractResponses to divergent selection for lean growth rate with ad-libitum feeding (LGA), for lean food conversion (LFC) and for daily food intake (DFI) in Landrace pigs were studied. Selection was practised for four generations with a generation interval ofl year. A total of 2642 pigs were performance tested in the high, low and control lines, with an average of 37 boars and 39 gilts performance tested per selection line in each generation. The average within-line inbreeding coefficient at generation four was equal to 0·04. There was one control line for the DFI and LFC selection groups and another control line for the LGA selection group. Animals were performance tested in individual pens with mean starting and finishing weights of 30 kg and 85 kg respectively with ad-libitum feeding. The selection criteria had phenotypic s.d. of 32, 29 and 274 units, for LGA, LFC and DFI, respectively, and results are presented in phenotypic s.d.Cumulative selection differentials (CSD) were 5·1, 4·5 and 5·5 phenotypic s.d. for LGA, LFC and DFI, respectively. Direct responses to selection were 1·4,1·1 and 0·9 (s.e. 0·20) for LGA, LFC and DFI. In each of the three selection groups, the CSD and direct responses to selection were symmetric about the control lines. The correlated response in LFC (1·1, s.e. 0·19) with selection on LGA was equal to the direct response in LFC. In contrast, the direct response in LGA was greater than the correlated response (0·7, s.e. 0·18) with selection on LFC. There was a negative correlated response in DFI (-0·6, s.e. 0·18) with selection on LFC, but the response with selection on LGA was not significant (0·2, s.e. 0·16).Heritabilities for LGA, LFC and DFI ivere 0·25, 0·25 and 0·18 (s.e. 0·03), when estimated by residual maximum likelihood, with common environmental effects of 0·12 (s.e. 0·02). Genetic correlations for LFC with LGA and DFI were respectively positive (0·87, s.e. 0·02) and negative (-0·36, s.e. 0·09), while the genetic correlation between DFI and LGA was not statistically different from zero, 0·13 (s.e. 0·10). Selection on components of efficient lean growth has identified LGA as an effective selection objective for improving both LGA and LFC, without a reduction in DFI.

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Selection for growth on normal and reduced protein diets in mice: I. Direct and correlated responses for growth

Genetics Research ◽

10.1017/s0016672300023272 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 50 (1) ◽

pp. 7-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

B. Vivi Hunnicke Nielsen ◽

Søren Andersen

Keyword(s):

Protein Level ◽

Protein Diet ◽

Correlated Response ◽

Family Selection ◽

Direct Response ◽

Protein Levels ◽

Selection Environment ◽

Normal Protein Diet ◽

Selection For ◽

Protein Diets

SummaryMice were selected for growth from 3 to 9 weeks of age on a normal protein diet (N) containing 19·3% protein and a reduced protein diet (R) containing 5·1% protein. On each diet there were 3 high (H), 3 low (L) and 3 unselected control (C) lines. After 6 generations of selection, half of the mice in each line were tested on each diet. Responses were obtained when selecting for both increased and decreased growth on both diets. The realized heritabilities from within-family selection were 33 and 26% for the divergences on the normal and reduced protein diets, respectively. Consistent genotype-environment interactions were found when all lines were tested on both diets in generation 7. Performance on each protein level was best improved by selection on that protein level. Further, the correlated response was significantly less than the direct response when selecting on both diets. The estimates of the genetic correlation between growth on the two protein levels were low, rN = 0·16 from selection on the normal protein diet and rR = 0·51 from selection on the reduced protein diet. Selection resulted in a change in environmental sensitivity in the lines, dependent on the diet and direction of selection. The average of the divergences on the two diets was not dependent on the selection environment.

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