Which one of the following statements about heritability is true?
A. Heritability estimates indicate whether an attribute was inherited or acquired.
B. Highly heritable traits, like height, will always be inherited, regardless of environmental factors.
C. Heritability is best measured by comparing biological relatives within families.
D. An estimate of heritability applies only to a particular group living in a particular environment.
Read, then tell us what you think:
http://www.psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Heritability
http://www.science20.com › Life Sciences › Evolution › Gerhard Adam
Sorry, this will be easier to get to the second article listed above:
http://www.science20.com/gerhard_adam/what_heritability-93424
To determine which one of the statements about heritability is true, let's go through each option and explain how to arrive at the correct answer:
A. Heritability estimates indicate whether an attribute was inherited or acquired.
This statement is not true. Heritability estimates do not determine whether an attribute was inherited or acquired. Heritability estimates quantify the proportion of variation in a trait that is due to genetic factors, as opposed to environmental factors.
B. Highly heritable traits, like height, will always be inherited, regardless of environmental factors.
This statement is also not true. Heritability does not imply that highly heritable traits will always be inherited. It means that a large proportion of the variation in the trait is due to genetic factors. Environmental factors can still play a significant role in the expression of these traits.
C. Heritability is best measured by comparing biological relatives within families.
This statement is true. To estimate heritability accurately, it is common practice to compare the trait variation among biological relatives within families. By comparing the trait similarity between individuals who share different amounts of genetic relatedness, researchers can estimate the proportion of variation in the trait that can be attributed to genetic factors.
D. An estimate of heritability applies only to a particular group living in a particular environment.
This statement is true. Heritability estimates are specific to the population and environment from which the data were collected. Different populations and environments may result in different heritability estimates for the same trait.
Therefore, the correct answer is C. Heritability is best measured by comparing biological relatives within families.