Data from goats (n = 505), collected over a 4-yr period, were used to estimate the heritability of juniper consumption. Juniper consumption was determined by near-infrared spectroscopy on fecal samples (n = 1,080) collected from female Boer-cross goats grazing pastures with a variety of plants, including juniper. The animals with records were progeny of 72 sires. Individual goats had from 1 to ...

The Norwegian cow index of 1978 is described. The formula is standard and is based on information from a) lactation yield per year, b) corresponding herd averages, c) indexes of sire and maternal grandsire, and d. average of indexes of sires included in the herd averages. Analysis of data from 242 501 cows is also presented. Following conclusion may be drawn :-The cow index used seems to work w...

Whether females gain indirect genetic benefits through mate choice is a controversial issue since this requires additive genetic variance in the preferred male traits. Condition dependence could maintain the necessary genetic variance by linking the expression of male traits to the supposedly large number of genes affecting condition. Copulating males of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum...

the objective of the article is to investigate the variability in growth and wood properties of the willow clones. the growth and wood traits of four year old 21 clones willow clones were investigated. analysis of variance showed that willow clones differed significantly for all the studied growth and wood traits. among the growth parameters the maximum heritability value was shown by height wh...

In spite of decades of linkage and association studies and its potential impact on human health, reliable prediction of an individual's risk for heritable disease remains difficult. Large numbers of mapped loci do not explain substantial fractions of heritable variation, leaving an open question of whether accurate complex trait predictions can be achieved in practice. Here, we use a genome seq...

The Japanese quail lays eggs with colourful and patterned shells which make the eggshell colour difficult to classify. In this study, the method of measuring colour of patchy eggs using image analyses and its power to discriminate among individual variation were established. Estimated repeatability for egg colour and proportion of patterned areas was high (>0.58), suggesting intermedíate or hig...

Research on the racing performance of quarter horses has been used to develop genetic prediction summaries on all horses with at least one start on record at the American Quarter Horse Association. In the 1987 summary, records from a total of 212,065 horses were used to give genetic predictions on stallions, mares, geldings, fillies, and colts. A reduced animal model was used that incorporated ...

The thermal dependence of locomotor performance capacity, particularly speed and endurance, in vertebrate ectotherms is examined. Most studies have found an optimal speed for performance at relatively high body temperatures, close to upper lethal limits. These performance capacities decrease markedly at low body temperatures and may be compensated by increments in aggressive or evasive behavior...

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is a fundamental energetic trait and has been measured in hundreds of birds and mammals. Nevertheless, little is known about the consistency of the population-average BMR or its repeatability at the level of individual variation. Here, we report that average mass-independent BMR did not differ between two generations of bank voles or between two trials separated by on...

Restricted maximum likelihood estimates of genetic correlations between between live ultrasound scan measurements and days to calving were obtained from bivariate analyses. Scan traits considered were fat depth at the 12/13−th rib, P8 fat depth, percentage intramuscular fat and eye muscle area, treating records for heifers or steers and bulls as separate traits. Analyses were carried out includ...