4. (2pts) In studies about learning in C. elegans, worms were trained to avoid c

Question

4. (2pts) In studies about learning in C. elegans, worms were trained to avoid certain olfactory cues (smells). In one population, a mean of 12.5 trials was required. A subgroup of this parental population that was trained most quickly (mean- 6.0) was interbred, and their progeny was examined. These worms demonstrated a mean training value of 8.5. Calculate the realized heritability for olfactory learning in C. elegans. a) Suppose you want to develop a population of C. elegans that would rapidly learn to avoid certain substances the worms could detect by smell. Based on the heritability estimate above, do you think it would be worth doing this by artificial selection? Why or why not?

Explanation / Answer

4. Mean of the population = 12.5; Mean of parent = 6.0; Mean of offspring = 8.5  

Selection differential (S) = Mean of parent - Mean of the population = 6.0-12.5 = -6.5

S = -6.5

Response to selection (R) = Mean of offspring - Mean of the population = 8.5-12.5 = -4

R = -4

Realized heritability (h2) = R/S = (-4) / (-6.5) = 0.615

Realized heritability (h2) = 0.615

a) Since, h2 >0.6, the selected offspring shows difference from the population almost as much as the difference between the selected parents and the population. So it is worth doing this by artificial selection.

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