title: The effects of linked loci on estimates of relative viability derived from pedigree analysis.
abstract: The effect of viability selection at linked loci on segregation ratios at a specified studied locus is analysed in this paper for the crosses of a heterozygote to a homozygote and of two heterozygotes. Both autosomal and sex-linked loci are treated. The analysis indicates that it would be unusual for the change in frequency of a given allele at the studied locus to be distorted by as much as one per cent by the combined effects (assumed to be additive) of selection at all linked loci. This result encourages the use of pedigree analysis in tests of the null hypothesis of selective neutrality of the genotypes at a particular locus since the inevitable cases where selection at linked loci does lead to incorrect rejection of the null hypothesis should be relatively few.
mesh_terms: D005787:Gene Frequency; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D005838:Genotype; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010375:Pedigree; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012737:Sex Factors