Last week I talked about the univariate breeder’s equation. A major extension of this was provided by Lande (1979 Evolution 33: 402-416). In this paper Lande shows how the basic breeders equation can be expanded to include multiple traits. Putting my tongue firmly in my cheek, the basic technique involves (1) separating heritability into its …
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The univariate Breeders equation
Sorry this is late. I am posting it from a cafe in Montpellier (the place in France, not the Vermont state capital). I got a question on facebook asking what the breeder’s equation is. This is a little embarrassing since I have been acting as if everybody obviously knew this equation, when in fact, only …
Selection as an Ecological Process
Having discussed relative fitness it is now time to turn to selection. The first important point is to think about the “breeders” equation: r=h2s here r is the response to selection, h2 is the heritability, and s is the selection differential. The important point is that evolution by natural selection (r) has two components, h2 …
Introduction to this blog
I started studying evolution when I entered graduate school over 35 years ago. Since that time I have found that my views on evolution are often at odds with those of other often very outspoken evolutionists. I also find that my views tend to be in line with the work-a-day evolutionists. In other words, the …