title: Testing marker-based estimates of heritability in the wild.
abstract: Marker-based estimates of heritability are an attractive alternative to pedigree-based methods for estimating quantitative genetic parameters in field studies where it is difficult or impossible to determine relationships and pedigrees. Here I test the ability of the marker-based method to estimate heritability of a suite of traits in a wild population of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) using marker data from 32 microsatellite loci. I compared marker-based estimates with estimates obtained using a pedigree and the animal model. Marker-based estimates of heritability were imprecise and downwardly biased. The high degree of uncertainty in marker-based estimates suggests that the method may be sufficient to detect the presence of genetic variance for highly heritable traits, but not sufficiently reliable to estimate genetic parameters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada. david.coltman@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Coltman
mesh_terms: D000416:Alberta; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D005828:Genetics, Population; D040582:Inheritance Patterns / Q000235:genetics*; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008136:Longevity; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010375:Pedigree; D010641:Phenotype; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D012098:Reproduction / Q000235:genetics; D012756:Sheep / Q000235:genetics*