In quantitative genetics, there are two basic "conflicting" observations: abundant polygenic variation and strong stabilizing selection that should rapidly deplete that variation. This conflict, although having attracted much theoretical attention, still stands open. Two classes of model have been proposed: real stabilizing selection directly on the metric trait under study and apparent stabili...

Changes in seed dormancy were selected during the domestication of crop plants from wild-plant species, because some features of dormancy that provide ecological advantages presented agronomic disadvantages within a farmed system. Seed dormancy varies widely among seed batches, even for seeds of the same genotype, indicating large environmental influences. For genetic studies, it is essential t...

Although animal breeding was practiced long before the science of genetics and the relevant disciplines of population and quantitative genetics were known, breeding programs have mainly relied on simply selecting and mating the best individuals on their own or relatives' performance. This is based on sound quantitative genetic principles, developed and expounded by Lush, who attributed much of ...

There are two distinct reasons for making comparisons of genetic variation for quantitative characters. The first is to compare evolvabilities, or ability to respond to selection, and the second is to make inferences about the forces that maintain genetic variability. Measures of variation that are standardized by the trait mean, such as the additive genetic coefficient of variation, are approp...

Here, we present estimates of heritability and selection on network traits in a single population, allowing us to address the evolutionary potential of social behavior and the poorly understood link between sociality and fitness. To evolve, sociality must have some heritable basis, yet the heritability of social relationships is largely unknown. Recent advances in both social network analyses a...

To what extent, and under which circumstances, are population dynamics influenced by concurrent natural selection? Density dependence and environmental stochasticity are generally expected to subsume any selective modulation of population growth rate, but theoretical considerations point to conditions under which selection can have an appreciable impact on population dynamics. By contrast, empi...

In this article, we discuss the complex problem of relating genotype to phenotype and challenge the simple mapping of genes to higher level cognitive modules. We examine various methods that have been used to investigate this relation including quantitative genetics, molecular genetics, animal models, and in-depth psychological and computational studies of developmental disorders. Both single g...

I. Basic Statistical Machinery 1.1 Probabilities, Distributions, and Expectations 1.1 Discrete and Continuous Random Variables 1.1 Joint and Conditional Probabilities 1.2 Bayes’ Theorem 1.2 Expectations of Random Variables 1.3 The Normal Distribution 1.4 Covariances 1.4 The Normal Distribution 1.5 Regressions 1.6 Properties of Least-squares Regressions 1.6 Regressions and Correlations 1.7 Maxim...

Some issues in quantitative genetics theory, other than molecular genetic analysis and utilisation, are reviewed. These include the development of models and methods for the analysis of longitudinal data, i.e. records continued or repeated over time, such as daily milk yield within and across lactation. The problems of identifying a range of alternative models and testing their fit are discusse...